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the 'heating. of a heavy iron ladle over an open wood . ~+is * Jolly reminiscences ® heRay sory Edwards, gh iti "Talk bout slang! a ori Side nor al ----] A of Hell," 8 nort- | condition is 3 ft fomatus until it is white- 1s 'passed round to the 'assessors, who have '0 certify that its The ac: . "You can'bathe my apple arts. with pepper if that old mess sergeant | © wasn't just about the foxiest old cod-| ger I had ever seen." "You can put dishwater in my stew ir Li recruit was even given a 'second ught in that outfit." "You can starch my 'underwear it he even put a hand on me." "I'l eat mustard on my pie if the 'mess sergeant don't alyays Blaze the * cook." * * * It really takes a sailor to spin a salty yarn. And no yarn has more tang fo it than a salty 'un spun by an old sea<dog. Some beauties are told by Captain 8. C. S. ("Sandy") McNeil, cused then steps forward and is given a cup of water with which to rinse his mouth. * LJ The ladle is veld aut to him and, bending forward, he licks it with his naked tongue three times. He then submits his tongue to the Sheikh of the Bishaa and the three assessors for inspection, and 'f they detect any sign of burning the accused is found guilty. 1f, on the other hand, the tongue is unmarked he is declared not guilty and "leaves the Court without a stain on his character"--or on his tongue. LB - * This ordeal appears at first sight 'o bea brutal and primitive ceremony (adds Major Jarvis), with nothing to recommend it, but it is based on a late skipper of the "Mauretania," in "In Great Waters." Captain McNeil has recent- ly "swallowed the anchor" after 47 years at sea--having reached the re- tiring age of sixty. And, naturally, he feels like a fish out of water. . LJ *. Which adds joy to his yarn about on¢ Captain who, having retired at the age of 62 after being in command of sailing shins for 37 years, decided to run the home--he had to command something or somebody. There Were three daughters at home, very attrac- tive girls and much sought after. It took the old sea-dog some weeks to realize that the only time he had seen 'the girls was, occasionally, at lunch or dinner-time, though not once at break- fast, *- Ld One morning, therefore, he was up as usual at 6 am. and took a stroll around the house. No one was about. He asked his wife when "the hands turned out?" "and was told that it de- pended on what they had been doing. So'he made his way to his daughters' 'bedrooms. Waking them he told them * "that they should be out on deck and dressed. *. * Ld One girl started to argue with him, told him he was perfectly ridiculous, 'that he had been asleep for thirty years and it was time he woke up; and would he please go out of the bed- room at once! - That was like a red - flag to & bull; and, with that, he pulled all the bedclothes off the girl, went to each of the others and treated them in the same way. Then, upstairs to the maids' rooms, denounced them for #kulkers, informed them that in future "all hands" would be roused at 5.30 a.m, and treated them the same; * * * His wife told him that a house could not be run like a ship; the maids gave notice and the daughters went off to stay with relations. After six months the old man went back to sea to the joy of his wife and daughters, and to his own intense relief. * Ld . Then there is the story of the Cap- tain who was very keen on cleanliness on board ship, to the point of often be- ing unreasonable and unfair. One day, in walking round the ship, he discover- ed some dust on a small ledge rather high up. Thinking that he would teach the responsible ones a sharp les- Bon, he placed a penny there. The fol- lowing day, on inspection, he told the chief steward what he had done. "I knew that ledge had been dirty d Jong time," he added, "it is never at- tended to." With that, he reached up for his penny and drew down--two half-pen- nies, Some steward had seen him and passed word along. *. . * What golf is to the maniac and ten- nis to the tennis pot-hunter, so is litl- 'gation to the Arab, says Major C. S. t of 'sense, as the Arabs contend that if a man is guilty he knows that he will be burned land his mouth becomes dry with fright, so that this actually; happens. If, on the other hand, the man is not guilty he has no fear and his mouth and tongue have the normal amount of saliva that effectively prevents burning. Try it. * You never can tell! Paderewski, when a pupil Warsaw Conservatory, played the trombone in the students' orchestra. This brought forth the following re- mark from his teacher: "You foolishly waste time on that plano, which will never bring you any- thing; whereas with your good lips and lungs you'd be sure to get a posi- tion in the band at the variety show." -- Irom "Tromboners, Or Musical Anecdotage." Ld And again: Paderewski, when quite unknown, went to London with letters of intro- duction to various musicians and not: ables. He never presented them. Years later he came acrcss these let ters and found one to a certain Prince. It read: ; "The bearer, Ignace Paderewski, is a fiery young Pole and rather charm- ing when he doesn't play the piano, 'for which he has little talent." Ld Ld - » * Stokowski received a.letter address ed to him as: "To the Commander of the Phila- delphia @rchestra." Country Morning and night I bring Clear water from the spring, And through the lyric noon I hear the larks in tune, And when the shadows fall There's providence for all. My path of paven grey Is thoroughfare all day-- For fellowship, till time Bids us with candles climb The little whitewashed stair Above my lavender. ~--By John Drinkwater, St ep ett Self Show me the man you honour. I know by that symptom better than any other what kind of a man you are yourself; for you show me there what your ideal of manhood is, what kind of man you long. inexpressibly to be.-- Carlyle, PALESTAENT Mt TINS LIFE Life without a plan. As useless ag the moment it began, Serves merely as a soil for discon- tent To thrive in, ~--Cowper. , How many minutes of the day do you spend with God? of the contest. Japan's famous field hockey team, defeated by British came back strong to trounce the United States 9 to 2 in a hard-fought The nimble Nipponese took the lead after five minutes of Play and were never threatened thereafter, India, Sunday School Lesson September 11. Lesson XI -- Israel Journeying Toward Canaan--Num- bers 10. 11-13, 29 36. Golden Text ~Come thou with us, and we will do thee gJyod.--Numbers 10: 29 I. ON THE MARCH, vs. 11-13. II. IN SBARCH OF A GUIDE, vs, 29-32, III. THE UNFAILING GUIDE, vs. 33-36. INTRODUCTION--Israel had learned much of God at Sinai; they would learn more in the vicissitudes of their later history. The time of their de- parture from Sinai had come. Gnd had appointed them a mission in the world, a destiny to be fulfilled. They must bt off to their God-appointed place i in history. Further, just as the of Moh danism later awakened among the Arabs an inner force which drove them out on the path of world-conquest, so there was indled in the newly-formed nation of Israel at Sinai, such an elemental powe: that they were to be swept over the borders of the desert to invade the fertile lands of Canaan. Thus, early religion showed itself as a ter- rific power with an instinct for con- quest; under the touch of Christ this power was to be transmuted into the world's greatest missionary force. I. ON THE MARCH, vs, 11-13, After a year's sojourn at Mount Sinai, Israel finally Lroke camp and took up the march. Their signal for marching was impressive. In a pre- vious lesson we have seen that when God came down to commune with Moses in the tabernacle, a cloud de- scended and rested like a veil in front oi the tablernacle, Exod, 33: 9. Else- where it is said that it was a pillac of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, Exod. 13: 21, 22, This cloud now became the divinely-appointed means by which the Israelites were guided in their desert journeys. The devout phantasy of Israel very beauti- fully conceived the clouds as the char- iots on which: God journeyed, Isaiah 19: 1 and Psalm 18: 10-14. It was natural for the Israelites to associate Jehovah's goings with the clouds, for his holy mount, Sinai, had been cover- ed with a dense cloud, Exod. 19: 16. The point of emphasis, however, is that the choice of their route through the wilderness wds in reality deter- mined for them by God. Through his guidance they passed from the wilder- ness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran--a journey of several days or stages, v. 12. Paran lay to the north of Sinai towards Canaan. II. IN SEARCH OF A GUIDE, vs. 29-32, Hobab, elsewhere galled Jethro, had visited Moses previously at Mount Sinai, and Moses had shown him great deference, Exod. 18: 1-27, Moses now « {proposed that Hobab should accom- yp: ~ the Israelites as their guide to Cenaan, The country through which they must go was desert and offered many dangers; its few inhabitants were for the most part, fierce and hostile like most sons of the desert; i'. oases and routes were unknown to Moses who was a stranger in these desolate regions. Bit Hobab was a Midianite, and to the Midianites be- longed the greater part of the terri- tory 'rough which Israel must pass. Hobab would prove a most excellent guide. The invitation which Moses extended was enticing. It would be a pact of mutual banefit to both Harties, for Hobab would be given a share in the promised blessing at the end of t eo journey. "It is Jehovah," said Moses, "who has pronised prosperity to Israel," and since it is God who has promised, he will surely fulfill, v. 29. Hobab was homesick and declined the invitation. Even a nomad of the des- et may feel the longing fur home, v. 30. The invitation was repeated, and this timc made wore pressing. In the picturesque language of the desert Moses suggested that: Hobab would .or.e them as "eyes." Whether Ho- bab finally yielded is not stated, for the account breaks off abruptly, Judges 1: 16 implies that he went with them. III. THE UNFAILING GUIDE, vs. 33-36. . It was, surely, in a moment .f v .akness that Mose: requested the company of Hobab en route. What need had he for a human guide when h had a divine one? God did not fail Israel. With his all-seeing eyes ne spied out the oases which would form suitable camping-grounds for his peo- tle, v. 33. Throughout the journey God associated himself closely with the ark. The lifting of the ark, as a signal that the people should break camp and move forward, must have been an impressive sight. When Is- rael came into Canaan it was the cus- tom to carry the ark into battle as the symbol of the Sivine presence. "I don't care much for the men down here." "What do you care s0 long as they care for you?" -- A heart at leisure from itself To sooth and sympathise, 'Electric Hot House Seedlings only a few weeks old, but already In flower--such has been the experience of two grapefruit plants in tlie electric hothouse on the roof of the General electric research labora- tory at Schenectady. Under normal conditions, grapefrul 'plants are at least five years old, an more usually ten, and are at least a few feet high before they flower; bu! these plants are less than two inches high, have had their heads above the ground only a matter of days, and are still wearing their "baby" leaves. Their flowers are dwarfed, but other- wise normal. Cay Guy Bartlett of the company's News Bureau, in a Press account: "The early flowers are the result of X-ray treatment of the seeds, in the belief of C. N. Moore and C. P. Has- kins, who are studying the effect of X-rays on plant life. "One seed, exposed to 200,000-volt, 30-milliampere X-radiation for two minutes, produced a plant with normal leat and flower coloration, but with leaves somewhat elongate and diminu- tive, and with a deficlent rcot system. "The other seed, subjected to the rays for eight minutes, p-oduced a plant lacking in chlorohyl, or green coloring-matter (which effect frequent- ly is encountered in citrus seedlings), but with the stamens of the flower of the proper golden color. "The seeds were part of a quantity _supplied to the laboratory by the Col lege of Agriculture of the University of California, from stock ordinarily yielding most uniform plants. On March 8 they were rayed, after hav- ing been soaked in distilled water and dried; and on March 16 they were planted in seed flats within the elec- trically heated roof garden, Snow and winter were still in evidence, but with- in the structure the temperature was uniformly warm. On April 14 the plants began to sprout. Before the end of May the two flowers were in evidence, and on June 6 were in full bloom. "Whether the tiny plants would have had full-size, or even dwarfed, fruit, will never be know.u. The experi- ments called for the removal of the pollen for use in additional experi- ments. "*It is hardly thought, however. sald Mr. Haskins, 'that the flowers could have madtured into fruit. And neither should it be concluded that early-flowering plants can be produced regularly by X-ray treatment. Other rayed seeds produced such obnormali ties as twisted stems, double leaves, and blotches of white; and still others produced apparently normal seedlings, So far, it has been a matter of chance as to how the chromosomes and genes ~--those tiny but controlling factors of heredity--might be affected by the X- ray treatment of the seeds. Promising leads of many kinds have been obtain- ed in the work that is being done with seeds, bulbs, and plants of many species, but it is too early to make de: finite statements regarding the re- sults obtained." Ee THE COMMON LOT I would not live my life apart In some sequestered place; I would not seek a favored start In life's exacting race, But I the common lot would share, And with my brethren do not dare, I would not stand upon a peak In loveless solitude, No eminence would ever seek Where those may not intrude Who share the attributes which be The birthright of humanity, The common lot is all I ask, The common road and role, The common fare, the common task, The common prize and goal-- And yet I would, with might and main, Uncommon excellence attain, --A. B. C, Ener meih One Mind Lean not on one mind constantly, Lest here one stood before, two fall. Something God hath to say to thee Worth hearing from the lips of all --Owen Meredith, SE A ae "My uncle in Venice is sending me a gondola. How am I going to play it?" "You don't play a gondola; you throw it over yaur shoulder like a shawl." A Nervous World One out of very fou tour people in fac- tories ted with "nay gs fg elu to des: | cribe a condition that is little, under: stood. | Tuvestigations made by Great Bel. tain's Industrial Health Research 'Board show that the word "nerves es" | must be used to explain many hunian factors which hinder industrial ef-! fiefency. Says Watson Davis, manag: ing editor of Science Service, In a Tri- weekly Feature (Washington): "The British investigators ran up i the prob! of nervou symptoms when they looked into the matter of both trivial and serious ac- cidents in Industry. Those who are emotionally unstable have more accel: dents, and there is lope that they may be picked out by simple tests, such as the psychogalvanic reflex or a dotting- machine test, Since accident-prone people are dangerous both to them- selves and to those around them, it ia important to recognize 'nervous' peo- ple before they have accidents, "The investigations in England have progressed so far that Dr. Major Greenwood, who tells of them in Human Biology, holds out hope that combined use of psychological .ests and examinations by specially trained physicians will prove practical. "Workers in offices where nervous tension 8 high will be interested in the finding that the 'nerves' of em- ployers are more important to efficient work than the 'nerves' of the em- loyees. As to the cause of our nervous world to-day, Dr. Greenwood will not agree with those who argue that we are living at too fast a pace. 'In this age of the world,' says Dr. Greenwood, "'nerves' are more important than in the age of William the Conqueror not because the pace of life is faster than in 1066 but for the precisely opposite reason. It is so much slower. Life .n old England may have been merrier, but it was certainly shorter than it is now, the struggle for bare existence keener Hardly any people in this country, speaking statistically, are in! imminent peril of actual starvation. Millions of people now have leisure for reflection. They may not be acutely hungry, they are not in imminent peril of death, but they are insecure'." EE nd Our Bird Bath One of the most delightful things about. a bird bath, even a simple, home-talent one such as ours, is the dazzling variety of oirds which it attracts. During the early morn- ing hours, ou garden seems to have been transformed into an aviary, filled with song and brilliance. A blue jay is usually the earliest ar- rival, He divides his time between the bath and the chinaberry tree which shadeg it; splashing around | in the water, then darting to a low limb of the tree to ruffle: his feathers and shake himself dry. Something a June there is almost no whe at. all, only a sort, of deeper twilight between twelve and 'two, when an- other day is dawning. The sun is' ill well up in the sky as you go to ths theatre. , . . Walking home, toward i midnight, you can still read the play- ers' names in the small type of the program, with what is left of the day- light. Tt is light, yet not day; still, yet not night, but a strange, half-lit interval between, theatrical as those amber twilights that come sometimes before summer wind-storms on the prairies. The tops o* things, gilded domes far down the street, the thin gold spirc of the Admiralty, ace touched with a light like that which touches mountain-peaks before sun- rise, Walls facing the west are lit as if by the rising sun. Those just across the street, on the other hand, everything on the west horizon, the whole skyline across the Neva, is in black silhouette. Coming down the Moika Canal from the Opera the great dome of St. Isaac's is a colossal dusty amethyst. . . One walks on and on--though it is bedtime, why go to bed?--dowa past the wistful bright . pire of the Admir- alty, past the great red piles of the Winter Palace and the War and For- eign Offices, and along the river. The broad Neva is ampty, the huge arks that come down from the birch forest, piled with firewood, sleep along the river-wall, Across the river the roofs are cut out of dark-blue cardboard ex- cept where the golden needle of the Church of Peter and Paul picks up the sun. On the curved stone benches built into the river-wall, facing the Winter Palace and consulates and embassies, boys and girls, the boys in students' military caps and long dark overcoats, sit whispering, planning Russia's future, perhaps, in the faca of that long -ow of cold stones. One feels strangely wide-awake and yet at peace--night without its gloom, day without its worries or reality. And Petrograd becomes beautiful, mysteri- ous, and kind--finds, at last, its own individuality. Over the edge of the earth somewhere other cities have their hours--Broadway's lights are flashing, the sun is blazing on the stucco walls and blue water of Rio, but these white nights are Petro- grad's own, and belong to it and this cold white north.--Arthur Ruhl in "White Nights, and Other Russian Impressions." Why Seviues. Cut Off Their Fingers New facts about the ancient and almost world-wide custom of savage tribes to cut off a joint or two of a finger in order to show grief, or for various other purposes, are reported by Dr. S. K. Lothrop of the Museum of the American Indian, New York about the temperature of the water evidently displeased him this morn- ing, for he splashed only about a third of hig usual time; and, as soon as he reached his perch, he! voiced his complaint in a series of] strident calls. He had scarcely flown | away, however, when his place was taken hy a cardinal, who trilled mer-| rily for several moments, both be-| fore and after his morning dip Al number of cocky sparrows were next; and a flicker ran along the! awaiting his turn. | A plaintive "Me.ow" made me peer anxiously around while my favorite | Carolina wren was taking a drink, [| soon discovered a sleek gray cat =} | ground close by, bird, swinging on the brier-rose. A mocking-bird and a thrush paused a moment; and then came one who! was a stranger to me. Rather a! large bird, bright yellow in color, | and apparently content to sit for hours on the rim of the bath, and, emit a peculiar clocking nd. He! sent me hurrying indoors to find my | bird book. However, T have di8cov-y eorea no picture yet which bears even | a faint resemblance to him. And | still he sits, contentedly = clucking. What can he be?--C.C -- een DUTIES | The every-day cares and duties which men call drudgery, are the weights and counterpoises of the | clock of time, giving its pendulum a true vibration, and its hands a reg ular motion.--Longfellow. "He Might as Well Get Used to it. ---- - AERE'S ONG Whey , Bl Roc, Ir BRoceoL Time tt THAT AIN'T , bart City, in an account of his recent ex- plorations in South America published by the New York Academy of Science. Says Dr. E. BE. Free in his Week's Science (New York): "At least four of the Indian tribes in | the delta of the Parana River, Dr, Lothrop found, once possessed this curious custom. It was known, (oo, among the great race of the ancient mayas in Central America and among the Aztecs of Mexico. In prehistoric Europe, the famous hunters and art- | ists of the Magdelanian period appar- | ently practised it, as is indicated hy a number of prints of mutilated hands still visible on the sides of French caves, and evidently made by mem- i bers of this long-dead race much as police officers now take finger-prints or palm-prints, In Africa, India and Australia, Dr. Lothro states, signs of this same finger-loping habit have been discovered. "In South America it was a sign of | mourning. In Mexico and prehistoric Europe it seems to have been a magi- cal practice. In the Pacific Islands | and Australia it was considered a cure for sickness. In ancient India it was of the ceremonial surrounding | births." RENRISIER SR HER FEAR Doris sat on the edge of the sola nervously twitching her handker- chief in her hands. "What's the matter with you?" asked her sister, "Why are you 80 nervous?" "This is the day John said he was going to ask father for his consent to our marriage," Doris informed her. "Are you afraid dad will refuse?" asked her sister, "No," murmured the unhappy girl; "I'm afraid John won't ask." Client--"Thought you left word in your office that you were out om important legal business "Counselor--"Just so, This ball game seems to be highly import ant, and I assure you it is perfectly legal." ~ am---------- x "And do you always pay as you go?" "Well, when they won't let one go without, what's a fellow to do?"