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1 1 1V V v* • "V 1' ' * -<*^,'Shr«A«.r\i1. *_v « 1 ' ' 1 r',* 1 * *; ,,.. . ,. ... .. '.•<*.«,^:-v....••••>'-» • »W}«, t, -J - < '<•- V. ,.»•-. * wi* •,< *•"» <-™f^3£ «» wws-i -""̂ SSk.-Sa,** ĥ mw. 4. t.& --u. ,... "031,1' TRIPLES," Whin tempted to scorn the little dn- of oar calling, let us think of such Myings as the following. One day a visitor at Michael AngeTo's 3tudio re- narked to that great artist,, who had been describing certain little' finishing * touches" lately given to a statue-- "but these are only trifles." " It may be so," replied the sculptor; " but rec­ ollect that trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle." In the same spirit the great painter Poussin ac­ tuated for his reputation in these Words: "Because I have neglected nothing." It is related of a Manches­ ter manufacturer that, on retiring from btt*iueas, he purchased an estate froai a certain nobleman. The arrangement was that he should have the house with ill its furniture just as it stood. On taking possession, however, he found that a cabinet which was in the inven* tory had been removed; and on apply* ing to the former owner for it, the lat­ ter said: "Well, I certainly did order It to be removed; but I hardly thought you would have cared for so trifling a matter in so large a purchase." " My l«ord," was the reply, " If I had not all ipy life attended to trifles, I should not have been able to purchase this estate; and, excuse me for saying so, perhaps if your Lordship had cared more about trifles, you might not have had occa­ sion to sell it. Galileo's discovery of the pendulum was suggested to his observant eye by a lamp swinging from the ceiling of f*isa Cathedral. A spider's net sus- Esnded across the path of Sir Samuel rown, as he walked one dewy morn­ ing in his garden, was the prompter that gave to him the idea of his suspen­ sion bridge across the Tweed. So •trifling a matter as the sight of seaweed floating past his ship enabled Columbus 4o quell the mutiny which arose amongst his sailors at not discovering land, and to assure them that the «agerly-sought New World was not far oft Galvani observed that a frog's leg twitched when placed in contact with different metals, and it was this apparently-insignificant fact that led to the invention of the electric telegraph. While a bad observer may " go through -a forest and see no firewood," a true seer learns from the smallest things and ap­ parently the most insignificant people." " Sir," said Dr. Johnson to a fine gen­ tleman just returned from Italy, "some men will learn more in the Hampstead stage than others in the tour of Eu­ rope." It has been remarked that we cannot change even a particle of sand on the aea-shore to a different place without changing at the same time the balance «of the globe. The earth's center of gravity will be altered by the action, in .an infinitely small degree, no doubt, but still altered, and upon this will en­ sue . climatic change which may influ •ence people's temperaments and ae tions. Of course this is an absurd re­ finement; but it illustrates the undoubt- -edfact that the most trivial thought :iuad act in our lives carries with it a train of consequences, the end of which we may never guess. The veriest trifles become of importance in influencing our own or other people's lives and characters. One look may marry us. Qur profession may be settled for us by the most trivial, circumstance. "A kiss from my mother," said West, "made me a painter." Going into an inn for refreshment, Dr. Guthrie saw a picture -of John Pounds, the cobbler of Ports­ mouth. teaching poor, ragged children that had been left by ministers, ladies and gentlemen, to go to ruin on the streets. The sight of this picture hang­ ing over the chimney-piece, on that day, •Jfcde l>r. Guthrie the founder of ragged -ScLools. CM a dock in ono of the Oxford col- Iqpefc is inscribed this solemn warning to zbo~e. who fancy that killing time is so* murder: Periunt et imputantur (the fcour- perish and are laid to our charge). Bo! is not this equally true of those ** odd moments" during which we =aj -it" is not worth while commencing or iSimhing anything? Mr. Smiles tells us that Dr. Good translated ** Lucretius" while driving from p&- JSenf s house to patient's bouse; that •|fcvl?arwin corrpesed all hk Works in the same wav; that fiak; w rote <Jip» "Contemplation**" while traveling 4NI circuit; that Elihu Burritt, while earning his living as a blacksmith, mas­ tered eighteen ancient languages and twenty-two European dialects in "odd moments^" that Mme. de Genlis com­ posed several of her volumes while waiting for the Princess to whom she cave daily lessons. Kirk White learned Greek and J. S. Mill -composed "Logic" as they walked to th eir offices. Many of us get into * fuss if the dinner be not to the mo- roent. Not so did D'Aguesseau, one -<>f the greatest Chancellors of France, -•ct. He used this mauvais quart ef heure, for he is said to have written a large and «*>le volume in the intervals of waiting for dinner. Wellington's achievements were mainly owing to the fact that he ^personally attended to such minutue as Soldiers' shoes, damp-kettles, biscuits, liorse-fodder; and it was because Nelson attended to details in respect of time that he was so victorious. "I owe," "he said, " all my success in life to hav- ; -ing been always a quarter of an hour 'before mv time." " Every moment lost," said Napoleon, "gives an op­ portunity for misfortune." Well woulcP ? 1$ have been for himself--as his bitter end proved--had this European ruler known another fact--that every mo­ ment selfishly employed is worse than lost, and "gives an opportunity for wnisfortune!" However,I he attributed . *the defeat of the Austnans to his own Sreater appreciation oflthe value.of me. While they dawdled he over . threw them. By little foxes tender grapes are de- ' i itroyed, according to Solomon. Little ^|oxes are very cunning and most diffi fult to ̂ catch; and so are those little ^mutations by which our moral na- I mvself. t ires are gradually eaten away. The tender grapes of many a Christian l4>ranch are destroyed by such little jfoxes as temper, discontent, avarice, Canity. Many who could resist much freater sins yield to these. There is an xcitement in the very greatness of a "trial of temptation which enables us to resist it; while the chase after little foxes is dull and uninteresting. No Wta&der that when we analyze the lives ton Hawk-Eye. of those who have ruined themselves morally, we generally discover that5 " It was the little rift within the Inte . That, ever widening, slowly silenced aB| Or little pitted speck in garnered fruit, Thii*.. rotting inward, slowly moldered all." How many people are almost sue ful, missingtheir aim by " Oh, such a liHie!" Minutiae in these cases make or mar us. " If I am building a mount­ ain," said Confucius, "and stop be­ fore the last basketful of earth is placed on the summit, I have failed." The examination is lost by half a mark. One neck nearer and the race would have been wen. The slightest addi­ tional effort would have turned the tide of war. "Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God," were solemn words, making the terrible difference between almost and altogether. -- Chambers' Journal, f-- Mr. IiOckwood*s Grieraftti*. V mm DURING the last trip I took over the Pacific Railroad, I noticed after we left Omaha that the man in the seat in front of me appeared to have something upon his mind. He would scowl dread­ fully for a few moments; then he would gaze with a far-away look out of the window; then he would draw a huge bowie-knife from his coat pocket, and after strapping it upon his boot, he would run his thumb along the edge. After scowling, a few moments more, he would take out a revolver, examine the chambers to assure himself that they were loaded, mutter a few vigor­ ous sentences, and put it away again. I watched him for a day or two; and at last he saw me looking at him. He said: I reckon you think I'm excited about something? Well, I am! I am going out yer to Salt Lake to kill a man. ' Indeed! How terrible! What's the matter?" " Well, you see--By the way; do you know Jim Stevens?" "N-n-no! I think not." "Well, this is the way it came about. Twelve years ago Jim and I were friends, and when I got married Jim made me a present of the most splendid silver cake-basket you ever saw in your life." "That's not what you're going to kill him for, is itP "Of course not! And I felt so grate­ ful that I took him by the hand, and I said: 'Jim! I'll give you a cake- basket as handsome as that whenever you're married, sure as my name's Jonathan Lock wood.' Made him a solemn pledge, you know." " Did he marry subsequently?" "Marry? Oh, thunder! Let me tell you. About a year afteward he went to Utah and becamc a Mormon. With­ in a month he sent me cards for his wedding with Hannah Watson.. So I went out, bought a sublime cake-bas­ ket, and forwarded it by express. Two weeks later he wrote to say that Han­ nah's sister, Ethelberta, had been sealed to him, and he asked me out to the wed­ ding." "Did you go?" " No, but I sent him another majestic cake-basket. But hardly had a fort­ night elapsed before Stevens telegraphed to me that as old Mrs. Watson, Han­ nah's and Ethelberta's mother, seemed so lonely, now the girls were gone, he had concluded to annex her also. He promised to send full particulars by mail. That night a third resplendent cake-basket went West in charge of the express company." "You have paid him three to one, then?" "Three? Wait till I get through. Well, I heard nothing more from him for a year or two, when one day cards came for his marriage with Louisa G. Carboy. [ was pretty poor about that time, and hardly able to make presents to anybody, but I had pledged my word, and so out went another imposing cake- basket." "Did he get it?" "He wrote and said his darling Louisa thought it was beautiful; ana he added a postscript, in which he men­ tioned that he had arranged for effect­ ing a further consolidation on the fol­ lowing Thursday with Helen Montgom­ ery Bilkersham, relict of old Bilker- sbffl. the popular hatter." r~ " Bid you respond?" " L did. I borrowed «ome money of a friend and promptly forwarded the most stupendous cake-basket I could buy. But at the same time I wrote to him and asked him if he didn't think it was almost time to knock off. He re­ plied and said he was sorry I had such narrow views about matrimony, par­ ticularly as he had everything ready for another marriage on the following Tuesday with Mary Jane Wilberforce, a charming girl, with property." " You didn't send one to her did you?" " Of course! Couldn't break my word! She got the most impressive cake-basket I could lay my hands on. Well, Stevens didn't stop there. That was two years ago. He has married edght times since, and I have come to time promptly with the cake-baskets. Well, sir, three days, ago I received no­ tice that he was going to marry again." " Again?" "Yes, again! That, you know, lets him out! What does the man mean? Does he suppose that I own a cake- basket factory, where they turn 'em out with a crank? Does he imagine that I have a mine where we excavate cake-baskets by the bushel? Has he got an idea that cake-baskets grow on a tree, and that all I've got to do is to knock 'em down with a pole when they are ripe? Why, he's an unmitigated ass! And as he won't let me off from mj promise, I'm going out to massacre him. You understand? In less than three days there'll be a dozen or so widows in Salt Lake going to see a man named Stevens buried!" Then Mr. Lockwood turned gloomily away, sharpened his knife again on his boot, and relapsed into silence. It was a little hard on him, I think Max Adder, in N. Y. Weekly. How the Turks Foster Their at, . population i Cowwahtinople is an-Wmeaklr kennel; every one makes the remark as soon as he arrives. The dogs constitute a second population of the city, less nu­ merous but not less strange than the first. Everybody knows how the Turk loves them and protects them. I know not if it is because the sentiment of charity toward all creatures is recom­ mended in the Koran, or becaiise, like certain birds, the dogs are believed to be . bringers of good fortune, or because the Prophet loved then?, or because the sacred books speak of them, or because, as some pretend, Ma­ homet the Victorious brought In his train a numerous staff of dogs, who en­ tered triumphantly with him through the breach in the San Romano Gate The fact is that they are highly es­ teemed, that many Turks leave sums for their support in their wills, and that when Sultan Abdul Medjid had them all carried to the Island of Marmora, the people murmured, and when thev were brought back they ware received with rejoicings, and the Government, not to provoke ill-humor, has left them ever since in peace. Since, however, accord­ ing to the Koran, the dog is an unclean animal, and every Turk believes that he would contaminate his house by shel­ tering one under his roof, it follows that not one of the innumerable dogs of Constantinople has a master. They therefore form a great free vagabond republic, collarless, nameless, houseless and lawless. The street is their abode; there they dig little dens, where they sleep, eat, are born, brought up and die; and no one, at least at Stamboul, ever thinks of disturbing their occupa­ tions or their repose. They are masters of the public highways. In our cities it is the dog that makes way for the horseman or foot-passengers. There, it is the people, the horses, the canlels, the donkeys, that make way for the dogs. In the most frequented parts of Stamboul four or five dogs curled up asleep in the middle of the road wiQ cause the entire population of a quar­ ter to turn-out of the way for half a day. It is the same in Galata and Pera, but there they are left in peace, not out of respect for them, but because they are so many that it would be a hopeless and endless task to attempt to drive them away from under the feet of the passengers. The canine population of Constanti­ nople is divided into quarters or wards. Every quarter, every street, is inhabit­ ed,' or rather possessed, by a certain number of dogs, who never go away from it and never allow strangers to reside in it. They exercise a sort of service of police. They have their guards, their advanced posts, their sen­ tinels; they go the rounds and make explorations. Woe to any dog of an­ other quarter who, pushed by hunger, shall risk himself within the territory of his neighbors! A crowd of curs fall upon him at once, and if they catch him it is all over with him; if they can­ not catch him they chase him furiously as far as his own domain; that is, to the confines of it, for the enemy's country is ever feared and respected. No words can give an idea of the fury of the en­ gagements that take place about a bone or about a .^aolation of territory. Every moment may be seen a crowd of dogs, entangled in an intricate and confused mass, disappearing in a cloud of dust, and giving forth such barkings and yelpings as would pierce, the ears of a man born deaf; then the crowd dis­ perses, and through the dust appear the victims stretched here and there upon the field of battle. Sometimes bands of them assemble and make such a dis­ turbance in front of some shops that the shop-keeper and his boys are con­ strained to arm themselves with sticks ani benches and mlfcke a military sortie, and then heads may be heard to crack, and spines resound, and theair is full of the most unearthly noises. At Pera and Galata especially^the poor beasts are so ill-treated, so accus­ tomed to feel a blow whenever they see a stick, that the mere sound of an um­ brella or cane upon the stones sends them flying; and even when they seem asleep, there is always one ear open, one half-closed eye with which they follow for a long distance the move­ ments of a suspicious stick; and so little are they accustomed to kindly human notice that it is enough to caress one in passing, and ten others will run and jump about you, wagging their tails and whining with eyes shining with joy and grat i tude.--" Constant inopleby Edmondo de Amid*. --Simultaneously with the appear­ ance of young gentlemen*s new spring suits, the sound of benzine is heard on the air. A "new" spring suit that has been "boiled" once or twice, loses the rigid grace that it had when the bill was first sent in, but then the man in­ side of it isn't half so 'fraid of the man D- who made it as he used to be.--Burling- I of slender classic outline are Styles in Jewelry. * THE long slender scarf-pin is now the fashionable brooch, and is the most im­ portant article of jewelry. It is sold separately, or else it forms part of a set with ear-rings, and perhaps sleeve but­ tons to match. Something unique in design is sought for In these pins, and antique styles are most liked. Bars of pale yellow gold are ornamented with Etruscan work in fine twisted wire, or the word Roma, or else pendant vases. Indian, Turkish and Egyptian designs are ornamented with rams' horns> cres cents, serpents, scarabei, or lotus leaves, and are richly enameled with dark red, blue and green. Japanese designs are more light and fanciful, showing open fans of gold in lace-like patterns tipped with turquoises, crane swinging in a pendant ring, or else a tiny square tile of Japanese bronze is mounted on colored gold; $10 or $12 will buy a scarf-pin of nice de­ sign and (Workmanship, though many are far more expensive. Colored golds, caused by copper alloys, and also plat- ina, are still much used. Stone cameos and large amethysts, of a simple to­ paz cut intaglio, are set in handsome scarf-pins. Ear-rings are short, flat rather than in ball shape, and are fastened in a way thatbrings them close against the lobe of the ear. They are made in designs to match the long brooches just de­ scribed. The lotus leaf enameled with red, blue and green makes most grace­ ful ear-rings; these cost $12for the ear­ rings; $30 buys the set with long brooch. Filigree gold butterflies that seem to have just lit upon the ear, so closely are they attached, are $10 for the pair. Hanging yellow gold vases An I enameled blue and green pair repre­ senting the Nile key is" $15. Japan­ ese fans spread and enameled are very1 pretty. Turquoises are still favorite stones for hoop ear-rings, for horse­ shoes and bars, associated with, pearls. The crescent is a popular de­ sign at present in jewelry, and is seen in brooches, ornaments for the hkir, bracelets, ear-rings and finger-rings.' There are Turkish sets allowing domes of mosques, and some have the minaret, and (^rescent. One beautiful pair of ear-nngs at $40 is the dome of a Chi­ nese pagoda with pendent turquoises. Enameled Egyptian sets of simple de­ sign, with brooch included, are $87. Cleopatra's Needle, with the winged globe beneath> is a fashionable design for jewelry. . For the hair ftre large ornamental pins representing stars, lotus leaves, butterflies, a dove, or a flower mounted* on curled wire, that makes the orna-rj ment quiver as the wearer movests These begin as low as $23. Large Vlr*/ pins of pure gold are sold for fastening on the veil, and are luxuries indulged in by ladies with golden hair; they cost from $8 to $5 each. Lockets are anrange4 to serve also as brooches, and are ornamented with the Indian, Roman, Turkish and Japanese designs already described. These cost from $12 upward. Black velvet dog- collars now rival gold necklaces as a support for lockets. Some are fastened by gold clasps, and others have a jew­ eled spray set on the front. The new­ est necklaces are light and slender, in­ stead'Of the massive links lately in' voguei Bracelets vary from the most delicate ring of gold, with padlock or jeweled clasp, to the heaviest bands; the latter are quite plain, or else they have open threads of gold mounted with jeweled decorations. There kre also bracelets of Persian design, made of the lightest gold threads in lace-like patterns, yet so strong that they cannot be crushed. Watch-chains have a bar to fasten in the button-hole of the dress. Cameos are showh for rich sets of jewelry, mounted with pearls, dia­ monds and colored gold settings of quaintest design. There is a fancy for cameos with black grounds, with a pale flesh-tinted stratum for the figure. Sca­ rabei cut in topaz are also much liked. The fancy in setting diamonds is to mass them in a design entirely of dia­ monds, yet suggesting a symbol of an idea; thus a pendant, which is also a brooch, represents a crescent, or a pansy, a dove, a feather, a star or a shell. There is no gold visible, and sil­ ver is miitch used in the setting. There are also- bar pins of black onyx, on which are pendent diamonds that vi­ brate. Crescents of red gold have the center Allied in with diamonds. Colored pearls,, pink, pale gray, cream-colored and blacky are among cboiee jewels for full dress. A metre thread of gold supporting a solitaire diamond is the- favorite en- f^agement! ring, though there is more atitude than formerly in the choice of stones for such rings. A sapphire or an emerald* is now frequently selected, and sometimes both are seen together with a diamond between. The long slender medallion is preferred in such rings; it is sometimes set diagonally, but seldom in a round cluster. Very pretty rings have three pearls of differ­ ent tints--pinky white and cream color; price $75. Tastefnl and unique designs are shown at much lower prices.--Har­ per's Bazar. r B -- Digging His <*wn tirade. < Nathan MxNAiKJ>„ one of the oldest, wealthiest, most respected, and eccen­ tric residents of the rural Township of Salem, C6nn., was found dead in bed in his home, on Sunday morning, May 5. He was neairLy ninety years of age, and had been long bending under the infirmities of age, but his resolute spirit and the strict business habits, fostered and strengthened by more than half a century of close and faithful ap­ plication* kept him from entirely break­ ing down. On the day preceding his death he was apparently as well aa usual, though he visited his physician and procured som^ medicine. By care­ ful, pains-taking toil Mr. Minard amassed a large fortune, and leaves a fine residence oa a l;irge and beautiful farm. It is well known by his neigh­ bors that he digged and stoned the grave in which he designed to finally rest, nearly twenty years ago. On the day on wMfo hue began the work he met the Hon. Ovamel Whittlesey, a neigh­ bor. tylr. Whittlesey," he said, "I am going to "do- something to-day that neither you nor any other man eVer heard of being done before, 1 am going to dig my own grave and stone it :up to suit me, so that it will be ready when the time comes." He procured the necessary stones, smoothly chiselled their faces and edges, dug the grave with his own hands, iatted the stones half way up the sides,1""with neatness and precision, then l^id a flat stone over the chamber, and tilled in the rest of the grave with earth. It was saiid that it was a masterpiece of masonry. It is related also that he purchased his coffin at the same time, and kept it in his house, in readiness for his death.. During the greater part of his life he was engaged in various ways in trade, and so careful and exact was lie in his transactions that he never received" a greenback or a* bank note from any one without writing the name of the person from whom it was taken across its face or back as security against loss bv counterfeit money. A short time before his death he said to a friend that he didn't ask his neighbors to do a thing for him except to carry his body to his grave after he was deatt His wishes were respected, and his re­ mains were laid in the grave that he dug twenty years ago.--2v. Y. Observer. --Fried Potatoes with Eggs.--Slice cold boiled potatoes and fry in good butter until brown; beat up one or two eggs and stir into them just as you dish them for table. Do not leave them a moment on the fire after the eggs are in, as if they harden they are not half so nice. One egg is enough for three or four persons, unless they are very fond of potatoes; if they are, have plenty ana put in two.--Rural Home. --The elder Dumas used to say: ^ The man who abuses me does not in­ tend to ask for a loan of money; there­ fore, 1 have a fair offset for his words." Beligioust '-If. GOOD NIGH?, God keep yon safe, my little loW, " *M' "•* ' . ':Allthnra#h the night* ** 1^#* nest close in His encircling aims il. . Until the light. ' V? s W My heart is with you as I kneel to Jmy. Good night! God keep you in His care f Thirtk shadows creep like riilctat fchtwtls ' , , About my head;. . , < I low lnyself in tender dreams, % While overhead r, The moon comes stealing through the window bttn. • • T„ • • i A silver sickle gleaming mid the stus. ForJI, though I am"far away. ! -/>' . , Feel safe and strong; , To trast yon thnSj dear love--and yet-- The night is long-- ,. , I say with sobbing breath tne old fond pmTer. Good night! Sweet dreams! God keep ra { eyerywhere! i --Mary R. IHgham, in Churchman. necessary to read a ohapter thxoogli 60 every occasion. Chapters are not in­ spired divisions, and often include sev­ eral subjects, any one of which would form a better lesson for a single read­ ing than all of them at once. The sub­ jects of prayer at the family altar should be few and simple. Praise, thanksgiving, petitions for guidance and help in the duties of the day, ut­ tered in simple, hearty, reveVent words,, should be the chief elements in suoh *- prayer. From five to eight minutes is ordinarily enough where there are young children, for the whole servree of family worship, including the sing- ^of twofersesof some appropriate v 1--day-School • Lessoas* i . SECOND QUABTEB, 1878. Jime 16--Messiah's Kingdom.. Daniel 7: 9-14 Jtne 23--The lJeoree of Gyrus,.2 Chron. 86:22 Jane 30--Beview of the Lessons for the Quarter. » ' TBDH) OUABTKR. ' * July 7--Bixthof Chiistthe Lord. .Lake 2: 8-20. July 14--The Childhood of Jesufc. .Lake 2:40-52. July 21--Minfetry of John the Bap­ tist Luke 8:15-22. Jnly 28--Jesus at Nazareth ; Luke 4:16-30. Aug. 4--The Draught of >Fishes... Luke 6:1-11. Aug. 11--The Centurion's Faith... Luke 7: 1-10. Aug:. 18--The Widow of Nails..... .Lnke 7:11-17. Aug. 25--The Friend of Binnere.... Luke 7:40-50„ Sept, -1--Return of thte Seventy.. .Lake 10:17 24. Sept, 8--The Good Bnmaritan Luke 10:30 87. Sept 15--Importunity in Prayer.. Luke 11: 5-18. Sept. 22--CoretoasnesR Luke 12:13-23. Sept»29--Seview of Ae Lessons for the Quarter. - . This Way, Papa." FROM one of our exchanges we have cut the following paragraph, which, perhaps, as it was hastily glanced over by many other eyes than ours, may have brought similar suggestions to other heart*. This is the item: Every paratgrtiphe? in the land has had his jest about Charlie Ross, and the public has been ut­ terly and irretrievably bored by the whole mat­ ter, and yet there is pathos, real and unaffected, in the closing passages of the father's lecture when he compares his quest to a search in a deep, dark alms by the lijrht ©f a taper, where he hears now and then a little voiee in the darkness cry­ ing, " This way, papa; here I am:" but when he goes in the direction ot the swuqd he findBthat it is only the voioe of his own hot»es and the whis­ pering of his own heart. Whatever may be true of the public generally, we think few mothers have been bored by the story of Charlie Ross and the sorrow of his parents. No matter how many times repeated, it strikes a tender,, sympathetic chord in every mother's heart, and, as she looks at her own little- darlings, she realizes to some extent how desolate her heart and how empty her home would be, were she called upon to- pass through a similar experience. There ai4! many loving parents who know what it is to stretch their arms out fondly, " But to clasp the empty air, For there a nothing of their darfingp But the shoes-they used to-wear." But yet, they can turn from the dark, sad side of the pioture,. as the parents of Charley Boss cannot, and, closing the.ir eyes, can hear sweet childish voices calling to them from the heaven­ ly distance, in accents they love to hear: "This way,, papa, mamma; here I am!" To many a home these sweet, heav­ enly angels have been God's, messen­ gers of lOve, drawing hearts^ that were estranged from Him,, hearts that were all worldly, to think of the mansions above and their treasures there, so be­ ing drawn to God and toward Heaven. There are many i*oUgh men, seeming­ ly, trith hard hearts, Who profess to be infidel in thought, who. think nothing £nd care less for the religion of the Bi­ ble and the hopes of the Christian, yet who, after losing a dear child, have had their hearts stirred as never before with thoughts of the beyond, and whose eyes till with tears as some man of God talks- sweetly and trustingly of Heaven, or some heart-singer m ca- denced tones touches them with the swe«$t song, " Watching and Wait- " Will there anyone tiien at the beaatiful gate Be watching and waiting for me?" Apd who knows^ but these dear little angels are often* sent as ministering spirits to. hover about those whom they loved on earthy to keep them from temptations, and draw their hearts to­ ward better things? Surety, if there are "ministering splits" s«nt to this sad eavfch from those pure realms above,, is it but natural to suppose that those we loved, and, those who,loved us, should be near u» as we travel on Zionward? The sweet voices of innocent chil­ dren,. and> their loving Words and ways, brighten many a home which other* wise would be clouded, and sweeten many aii otherwise bitter, hopeless life; and, if they are taken from us and pass to the spirit land, oh, how blessed it is to- feel that their voices are still calling usy winning us to come up higher, and holiding us with bands that are stronger than iron to our faith in a heaven of uinendlng joy! There are many Chris­ tian parents Who. have said: "I should never have' come to the Savior had it not been for the death of our dear boy or our little girl, and I, see now the kindness of God in that sorrow." But now different their experience from that of Mr. Ross, when he says that' " when he goes in the direction of the sound, he finds it is only the voice of his own hope, and the whispering of his own heart." For if sorrowing, be­ reaved hearts are turned toward Heav­ en, and their hopes are centered there, they will never be disappointed, they will more than realize them all. The Savior has said, "Where I am, there shall ye be also," and those who love Him shall find Him, and with Him all th^ir little ones in that " safe place above."--Chicago Standard. Worship In the Family Circle. A CORRESPONDENT inquires of the •Examiner and Chronicle, which has re­ cently dwelt on the importance of wor­ ship in the midst of the home circle, in what way such worship may be best conducted and made attractive. The Examiner, after remarking on the ex­ ceeding difficulty, if not impossibility, of laying down a general rule that would prove serviceable in all cases, thus continues: "Yet a few brief hints of a general nature may not be out of place. It is important, for example, that the exercise be short. Don't drag out the service until the children grow fidgety, and the older ones begin to wish for the end to come. It is not Hew Id Study the Bible? ' v >•?.»?} -vt At Chickering Hall, last Sunday ernoon, Mr. Colcord followed his ser­ mon of the previous Sunday, oa "The Importance of Bible Study," by one on "How, to Study the Bible." He said: Books are companions. To read a no- »le book is like the companionship djf'a noble friend, but to read the Bible is like the companionship of God. Jn prayer we speak to God, but in the Bible He speaks to us. Let us, then, raise the lids of the Bible and turn its pages reverently. Let us study it with solemn interest, as oor Heavenly Fa­ ther's message to His children--as the venr Word of God. We should study it always with prayer,, that the- Spirit may enlighten us, that God will help us to understand and heed His own Word. It is said of good ©Id Archbishop Usher that, when his sight so failed him that he was not able to read the Bible except under the strongest light, he would take it to the window,, and when the sun lifted his beams from one window and let them fall upon another, he would hasten to rest the open book in its light. And so he would follow from window to win­ dow, until the shadows of approaching night compelled him to close the book and wait for the sunlight of another day. So our poor sight is too feeble to read this Word aright). We need to seek the Spirit's illumination. We need to hold it where the rays of the Sun of Righteousness will cover its pages with light. Then we may read. Then, with that sun flooding its blessed pages, we may clearly understand.. We should Search the Scriptures humbly, as learners. It speaks to us with authority, " Thussaith the Lord.'! The Bible should be studied diligently., The command of the testis not to give it a mere reading; it is " Search--search the Scriptures." It is a great deep mine, rich in precious treasure, but it must be brought forth by labor. We should search the Bible to find what God would have us believe. It is profitable for doctrine. Because they will not search God's Word many well- meaning people are in the condition of those to whom it was said, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures.'*" We can­ not afford to rest our faith upon our own conjectures or upon other men's creed. If we would rest it on a sure foundation we must jbuild it on the Word of God. I want to> get the truth from first hands. I want it directly from God, and so I must get it for my­ self out of His own Word. We need to search the Scriptures to fiiid what God would have us do. Creed and deed must go together. Faith and works cannot be separated.. Asa man's faith is so will be his life, for- a work is faith projected into life. The Bible is able to furnish us unto all good works. Our study of the Bible should be to find Jesus. He is its grand central figure. Everything in it points to Him. He reads the Bible to little pur­ pose who does-not find Christ there. It should be a< study not only to find Jesus, but to find Him as your personal Savior. It is little tp me to know Christ merely as ani historical charac­ ter. It is little to me that He came, and suffered, and died,, unless He died for me. It is- little to me that He is a Savior unless Hals- my Savior.--Church Union. *ACTS AND FIGURES. IwChina they spend $150,000,000 a year in worshiping their ancestors. The new edition, of the Dictionary of the French Academy contains 2,200 words and 28*000 lines more than the edition of 1835.. The pensions of soldiers minus both arms, legs or eyes, will be increased from $£0 to $25 per month. Only sixty-five are on the list. The birth rate in Georgia since 1865 has been a little more than 30 per cent, among the whites, and among the blacks a little more than 50. The sea holds 60,000,000,000,000 tons of salt. Should the sea be dried up, there would be a deposit of salt over the entire bottom of the ocean 450 feet deep, and if the salt were taken and spread on the land it would cover it to a depth of 90W> feet.--Philadelphia Gro- et,r. A PHYSICIAN of Rochester, N. Y., says that the- girls of that town are very pretty, and grow in grace and loveli­ ness until they are about eighteen or twenty, when they get pale, sickly- looking, and faded, "going all to pieces at twenty-six." . Among the causes of their deterioration he enumerates the lack of exercise in the open air, tight- lacing, round dances and too much study. Minister Bingham has sent from Japan a very interesting paper by a native savant on the earthquakes tnat have occurred in that country during the past 1,500 years. • - The number of destructive earthquakes recorded is 149. ^ The ninth century was most pro­ lific in these, reaching twenty-eight; in the fifteenth century there were fifteen; the same in the seventeenth; thirteen in the eighteenth; and sixteen in the present century. The recorded aver­ age is one great earthquake every ten vfiftrs. hiit the nineteenth c«nturv ffives one every five years. Unusually liigh temperature and strange atmospheric changes have been noticed as precur­ sors of great convulsions, especially in the earthquake which desolated the City of Yeddo in 1855.--Scientific American. WHEN a horse is hard at work in hot weather, half a day is too long to go without water.