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Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have mot I sent thee 1--msere is do account taken of the complaint of Gideon. There is no time to argue "to the men of old l" The greatest revelation always in the memory of the Israelites was the fact that Je- hovah brought the Israelites up out of Egypt. Gideon could not with- hold the expression that Jehovah, who was with the children of Israel in Egypt, seemed now to be deliver, ing them into the hand of Midian. 14. And Jehovah looked upon him. Here the statement is direct-c-not the angel of Jehovah, but Jehovah. Gideon's eyes are open to the real import, of the message that is oomv ing to him. It comes direct from 12. Thou mighty man of valor.-- Gideon was not in a particularly good mood; to think that he, a man of valor-that is, a strong and ac- bive man-should have to hide him- self practically in the cleft of a rock in order to thresh out a little wheat was almost as much as a hardy, strong young man could stand. The angelic visitor implied in his greet- ing that Gideon was not only a strong and brave man, but that he also was a, devout man, a man of valor in the full sense. 1 13. Oh, my lord, if Jehovah is with us. why then is all this befallen us?‘ ---The angel of the Lord came with an assuring greeting, "Jehdvah is with thee." Gideon was too devout to repudiate this statement. ILow, ever, he was too sorely distressed not to question it, and he asks, “If Jehovah is with the Israelites, why does, he not reveal himself as he did To hide it from the Midianites.-- Everything which the Israelites possessed was in grave danger of being taken by the enemy. Under the invasion of the Canaanites, lsr. rael’s native law could be adminis, tered only in the extreme south, east, between Ramah and Bethe], where, as we found in the lesson of January 3, the palm-tree of Debor- ah stood. In the day of Gideon the Midianites swept south from the plain of Esdraelod, so that the use of the threshing-floors was impose] [ ble. They pushed so far that tihel Israelites had to hide themselves even at Ophrah. From the plain of Esdraelon a succession of open plains lead out, connected by easy passes. It is the widest avenue into both Samaria and Judaea, and makes connection also with the plain of Sharon. Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress.--A meet unusual proceeding, as the wine was pressed out frequently in the inner cleft of a rock arranged in the nature of a winepress, whereas wheat was threshed out on a high place as in, dicated above. Verse H. Sat under the oak Axah‘reh is-in- ophrah.--This is an- other instance of a sacred tree par- ticuhfrly used on a. great occasion. Lesson HI.. The Call of Gido --.rudg. 6. 11-40. Golden Text, Psa. 65. 4. " God Is Not Vindictive. but He is most certainly inexorable. Sin'is not visited by divine wrath, but it is most certainly punished by divine justice. Days of vengeance have passed forever, but days of judgment still appear. What, in- deed, has the year 1914 been but 'such a, day? Deeply have the na- tions sinned in their dealings with one another. For forty years they have envied, hated, deceived, plot- ted, armed, bhtceatened, challenged. Not one trace of generosity, bro- therhood, self-abnegation, even the ordinary decencies of everyday mor- In the deeper spiritual sense, how- ever, these words of our text areas true to-day as ever, and never be- fore so impressive perhaps as they are at this very moment. Taken literally, this high-wrought language of the prophet can find little acceptance in our age. In spite of the easy presumption with which the kings and priests of Eu- rope are expecting God to give them victory in batele---by" which they frankly mean bring death and destruction to their enemies-we no, longer think of God as a conqueror who treads down the. people in his anger and pours out their life blood on the earth. Love and not hate, pity and not wrath, forgiveness and not irengeanee--these we regard to- day as the true attributes of God. If we think otherwise it is because we ourselves are base and thus guilty of the unpardonahle sin of degrading the Deity to the level of our own passions. “I trod down the peoples in mine anger, and I poured out their life blood- on the earth . . . For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.” --lsaiah, hriii., 4, 6. It 1914 Was the Year of Judgment Shall Not 1915 Be the Year of Redemption? “THE DAY (lil VENGEAW” INTERNATIONAL LESSON. JA NUARY 17. _.':". SUM“ (lil0lll.IN& of Gideon And Abiezer was gathered toge- ther after him.--This" was his own tribe. That his people, who knew him as belonging to a poor family and of humble origin, rallied to him at once must have been a sign of great encouragement and, doubt, less, a need indication that Jehovah would be with him. 34. But the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Gideon; and he blew a, trumpet.--Altrhough the tribes of Israel were scattered and working independently, they could be gath- ered together at a, time of crisis. The blowing of the trumpet, how- ever, was directed to the people of Gideon's own tribe. He wanted to be sure of them first. Afterward Gideon sent messengers to all the neighboring tribes, to give warning of danger-and to call assistance. And encamped in the valley of Jezreel.--The word used here for valley means “deepening.” It is the same as the Scotch expression "vale." It is a valley as one looks into it from above, and not a valley as one might stand below and look over an extensive plain running away from the hills far off to all- other rise of hills. The "deepen- ing" or "vale," is a, wide avenue running up into mountainous coun- tries. So we read of the vale of iHebron, the vale of Elah, of Ajalon, ‘of Jezreel. These invading armies weremot going to meet the Israel- ites on the western border of the plain of Esdraelon by the river Kishon, but they were going to at- tack them more in the mountainous country and put them to disadvan- tage by dividing their forces and disposing of them piecemeal. Israel, therefore, had to muster not on Mount Tabor, but at Gilboa. It is interesting to note that the Midian- ites in their battle against; Gideon took up practically the same posi- tion as the Philistines did in their bottle with Saul. And they passeiur-erTriiifey im- mediately entered the confines of the Israelites. 33. Then all the Midianibes and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves to- gether.-Not only was Gideon to face Que horde of invaders, but all of the heathen on that side of the valley intended to make a concert against the children of Israel. essential characteristics for leader- ship. In Gideon is another illus- tration of the fact that God is no respecter of persons and that the true-hearted and worthy will find his favor, no matter what their con- dition. in life happens to be. 16. And Jehovah said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one mam-Again Jehovah pays no at- tention to the word of Gideon. Bis remonstrance is in vain. It matters little how poor and lowly he is. He came of'a good family and had the 15. Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel ?.-The thought occurs to Gideon at once, however, that he is a.young man of very low origin. His family is not. only the poorest in the tribe of Manasseh, but he himself is the very least in his father's house. the matter. Words are of little im- portance. Action is what is de- manded. Gideon is made to feel immediately that he has the power to go and save Israel from the hands of the Midianites. This puts an entirely different phase on the question. Such at least should be our prayer, and, God helping us, our resolve, as the old year of disaster passes into the new year of prom- ise! "The day of vengeance” is still with us, but if we be patient, steadfast and "not unfaithful to the heavenly Vision]? 1915 may be made to be "the year of the redeemed." -Rev. John Haynes Holmes. Such a Hatred of Violence. such a quickening of compassion and brotherhood as the world has never felt before? And shall there not come, as the due expression of this awakening of the spirit of good- will and as a fitting compensation ‘for the losses suffered and the age nies endured in this greatest of all wars, the establishment of peace forever more? If nation shall no longer lift up sword against nation, neither learn war any more; if vio, dence shall no more be heard in any land, wasting nor destruction with- in the borders of any continent; if people shall clasp hands with Ileor, ple in one great world-wide bond of, brotherhood, then shall this present conflict, for all its horror, have ill) been in vain! But this is not all of the prophecy. For "the day of vengeance," says the ancient prophet, marks the com- ing of "the year oi (God’s) redeem-- ed." Out bf all this misery and bloodshed shall there not come such an abhorrence of force, ality, has appeared in their com- mercial, political and social rela- tions. And, behold, the day of judgment has come upon them! Their sins have found them out! Selfrshness has brought misery and hatred death as they have never done before! And therefore comes the crowning horror of peoples trodden down in anger and their life blood poured out on the esrth. Subscribers to a War Loan. The British Government in the view of the London Statist, "has provided itself, through the great Aoan, with the means of hnanoing 1the war until Midsummer, at all events. Perhaps in no respect is the loan more satisfactory than that so many small people have brought forth their savings to pay for their allotments; very many, in- deed, paying for them, not by cheque, but in actual cash.” A despatch from London says: Sir Thomas Lipton has loaned his steam yacht, the Erin, for the use of the Servian and Montenegrin wounded. He will accompany the expedition in person, and asks for assistance in stores and money. A despatch from Rome says: The Austrian Government has notified the Foreign Office that she is trying to ascertain whether four Italian subjects were taken as hostages ai- ter the capture of Belgrade, as has been widely reported in Italy. The Austrian Foreign Office has given notice to the Italian Foreign Office that she is prepared to remedy the mistake, it one was made, and will offer reparation. A despatch from Athens says: The Greek cruiser Helle arrived at Durazzo recently for the purpose of protecting the Greeks there in case of the insurgent capture of the town. The position of the Greeks ‘in Turkey is daily becoming more ‘precarious. Murders of Christians throughout Asia, Minor are of con- stant occurrence. The latest out, rage occurred at Karaoglou, near Manissa, where three notables, in- cluding two archbishops, were ar- rested. Greek Consuls are every- where subjected to bitter persecuu tion. Grasco-Turkish relations are' rapidly becoming excessively strain, [ ed. Messages from the Italian tron/ tier say that in Italy all public meetings and demonstrations in fa- vor of Italy’s intervention in the war have been forbidden at the Italian Consulates in Switzerland. Will Be a Great Boon to Soldiers in the Trenches. A despatch from Paris says: Trio, let rays are prescribed for frostbite by Dr. Pougnet in a paper to the Academy of Medicine. He says tsuf- fering soldiers are rapidly cured when taken from the trenches to al- low their affected members to be passed through violet rays of me- dium intensity. A fair price in America, for cop- per would be $300 a ton. VIOLET RAYS FOR FROSTBITE This Is the Priee Germany Is Now Paying for It. A despatch from Geneva, Swit- zerland, says: Advices received here from Germany set forth that copper, owing to the great demand and the limited supply, is now sell, ing in the Empire for 2,500 marks ($625) a, ton. Will Offer Reparation to Italy 36. And Gideon said unto God.-- The test which Gideon puts to God in this paragraph (verses 36-40) is a most striking proof of the faith which the people of the Old Testa- ment had in their God. If he was the true God, he would show him- self in some way, particularly at a time of so great crisis. The particu- larity with which this test is des- oribed by the Hebrew writer shows us how great weight the chronicler put upon the incident, and also is evidence of the belief which Gideon himself had, that if he was to go out into the eonflict he should go out entirely as the messenger and in the control and under the guid- ance of God. as he was sure of his own people, he sent the word everywhere. He par- ticularly, however, sent messengers unto Asher, arid u-nto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. They all came up to- gether-as will appear afterward, a formidable army of thirty-two thou- sand men. . 35. And he sent messengers thrpughout all Manasseh.--As soon Sir Horace T 2nd Turks Slaughter Christians. Lipton Loans Yacht COPPER $625 A TON Smith-Danica, Army. _ Coffee Jelly-Sweeter, a pint of strong coffee to taste and to it add three-quaIeers of a package of dis- solved gelatine. Put half of it into a panful of ice water and when it begins to harden stir in a cupful of cream whipped stiff. Pour the rest of the jelly into a, mold, and pour the hardened, cream-and-jelly mix- ture into the centre. It will be hard enough to remain where it is put in the centre of the bowl or mold; the jelly is hardened in. Chill and serve with cream or custard. Gingerbread with Cream-Cream half a cupful of butter and add a cupful of sugar. Mix two cupfuls of molasses and one of milk, and add alternately with four cupfuls of f1pur sifted with a teaspoonful of baking powder, a teaspnonful of ginger and a quarter of a teaspoon- ful of ground cloves. Then add a teaspoonful of orange extract and four well-beaten eggs. When thor... oughly mixed pour into buttered muffin tins and bake. Serve one to each person, warm, covered With whipped cream. Or else cut off the tops, scoop out a tablespoonful of the sofe crumb, fill with whipped cream, andfnt on the top. '. _i_iijl"ci'ji,'sij'i" J,-, H 2::ng Cream Ih'itter's.--rseat a cupful of cream and add as you beat, the whites of four eggs. When stiff add a pinch of salt and two cupfuls of sifted flour. Drop the mixture by bwblespoonfuls into hot fat and brown. Serve with cinnamon, wine or any preferred sauce. u L __ -'__e.et “‘0“- _ Coeoanut Custard-Grad half a ecupful of fresh coooanut or use the same amount of shredded cocoanut, and to it add three-quarters of a cup of sugar, a pint of rich milk and the stiffly beaten whites of four eggs. Put in individual custard dishes, place in a pan of hot water and bake until firm. Then change the cold water7for hot water, cover the custards with meringue and brown. The cold water prevents further cooking and possible cur-d, ling of the custard. Ciiam Tapioca. - Cook three tulespoonfuls of tapioca. which have been soaked over night in cold water in a quart of milk for an hour in a, double boiler. Beat the yolks of four eggs with a scant cupful of ‘sugar, add to the tapioca, cook for ten minutes, and take from the fire. Add a teaspoonful of vanilla, turn into a buttered baking dish, cover with meringue and bake until brown. Chill and serve cold. To make the meringue beat the whites of the four eggs stiff, add four tablespoonfuls of granulated sugar, beat again, add a pinch of cream tartar and beat again, and then spread over the pudding. Brown slowly and do not put immediately into a cold or draughty place. The' careful baking, cream tartar and the gradual cooling do much t,o keep the _r?ty/1_siut, puffed and high. Lt.-Gcneral Sir Douglas Haig, lst Army. Caramel Bavarian Cream. -. Brown two tablespoonfuls of sugar in a saucepan and add a pint of cream and the grated rind of two 1lemons. Simmer until the browned sugar is dissolved. Beat the yolks of eight eggs with as many table- spoonfuls of sugar in a saucepan and add a pine of cream and the grated rind of two lemons. Sim- mer until the browned sugar is dis- solved. Beat the yolks of eight; eggs with as many tablespoonfuls of sugar and add to the saucepan. When thick, add a, package of gela- tine, dissolved in a little water. Re- move from the fire, and when cool fold in a pint of Whipped creaml whipped solid. Mold and chill. made in individual dishes in this way. Put a small sponge cake In each desert dish and pour custard around it, On each little cake put some jelly and pile a tablespoordul oCwhipped cream on that. --it can be used later for a cabiget pudding-and fill the cavity with thick custard. Put back the ItOD and spread with currant or qulnce‘ jelly and then cover with whipped cream. The same charlotte can b.e made in individual dishes in this ""mebqb-tt,aswasqs--qbeiW' Winter Desserts. Custard Charlotte Itusw.-Make or buy an oblong sponge cake and cut off the top. Remove the inside " w W “M - FOUR COMMANDERS OF NEW BRITISH ARMIES. 'rr'7rrrlrrrcn A despatch from Berlin says: The German army authorities have' is- sued a general order prohibiting in future tro-dps in the field from "fra, ternizing with forces of the enemy, as they did at several, points in the CamesWithTommy htkim;Prohibittd Iron molds for drop cakes anngng the very best. To make pork crackling crisp, rub well with salad oil, then sprinkle Grape Juice Whip-Whip the whites of eggs, one for each person, stiff, and add half a tablespoonful of sugar and two teaspoont'uls of grape juice to each white. Beat; all until stiff. Into each sherbet glass put two or three tablespoonfuls of grape juice, and on this pile the egg white. Top each glass with a' teaspoonful of whipped cream. If the edgesyof the saucepan well buttered the contents will boil over. 1 Chocolate vSouifle.--Soak half a cupful of breadcrumbs in milk and wring them dry in a clean cloth. Put them into a bowl and add half [a cupful of melted hutter and half la cupful of sugar. Beat until light land then add the wellubeaten yolks of four eggs, vanilla to taste and three squares] of chocolate grated. Beat light again and then add the stiff whites of four eggs and pour into a, buttered dish. Bake in a. moderate oven and serve immer. diately. -et 7 ___ --___ -___ A4'PW-F'. st' French Pufhs.-Cream a third of a 1a cupful of butter with a cupful of) sugar and add two eggs, beaten sep- I w arately, a cupful of milk and two {pi cupfuls of flour sifted with a tea-llc spoonful of cream tartar, half a! teaspoonful of soda and a pinch of,a: salt. Bake in patty pans until ip] brown and serve hoe with ample‘at syrup. Cream Cheese Tarts.~Make tart, shells of pastry and fill them with a , mixture made of two cakes of cream l cheese, half a cupful of cream, a, cupful of currants. three eggs beat-i en well and two bablespoonfuls of! sugar. Bake ior about half an hour. 1' “m. "'A4 snub VN,AAAalr to the Canadian farmer the 1'espon- sibility, the duty, the privilege he has in the maintenance of life in the Empire. It will' be a call not iless important than the call to arms. It is projected by the Do, minion Government, working in co- operation with the Provinces. The first appeal-the poster-will be fol- lowed by conferences in all the counties of the Dominion, when farmers will be impressed with the ! necessity of doing their part in help, ‘ing Canada and the Empire in the present crisis. Mr. James started the appeal to eastern Ontario) most prominent dairymen. l Send Food as Well as Men. "The first appeal was for re- cruits," said Mr. James, "and post- ers were up all over the country, 'Recruits wanted'; now there will be another poster, 'Patriotism and production.' We are developing something in Canada we never thought we had. We are waking up for the first time to the fact that the Canadians are a people. Bri, tain to-day sends another message: 'Send up not only men, but food.' The farmer will be as loyal along his General Sir six weeks all Canada will ring the appeal which has been fltted into the phrase, “patriotism and pro- duction." Within a week, accord- ing to Mr. James, flaring posters fl‘OIIII ocean to ocean will bring home administration of tho special Fed- eral grant to agriculture, made to the members of the Eastern Ontario D.airyrntn's Association. Within A despatch from Peterboro' says: It was a "call to duty" to the far- mers to rally to the Empire that Mr, C. C. James, Director of the Dairymen Can 113% Household Hints. 4th Ian Hamilton, Army. Ti) HE J1()'rjifERLhl)il) : Render Valuable Assistance By increasing Output ‘ are not Lt.-Gcncral Sir Arr] 3rd Arm. western theatre of war at Christ- mas. To such an extent was this fraternizirog carried out that at one place where the Germans and Bri.. tish played footbzyl Christmas Day, they agreed to suspend hostilities for two days more. Some of the most delicious cakes are ruined while turning them from the pan. If the pan containing the cake is set on a cloth wrung put of warm water and left for a few min, utes the cakes will turn out with- out any trouble. . I If salt is sprinkled on tht stow- (as soon as milk boiisgver, the unv ipleas‘a-nt odoc_wilu'srscounteracted lat once. A tub of water placed Dear the house plants, in a room where you are afraid of frost, will "draw" the frost and save the plants. Keep folded newspapers handy upon which to place soiled pots and pans, and save cleaning smubty marks from the tables. V Equal parts of turpentine and am- monia will remove paint from cloth- ing, no matter how hard the, paint, may have become. _ ' If the teapot- becomes musty, put a lump of sugar in it before putting it away. It will smell sweet when you want to use it. When silver has become o'isedois ed with egg, dip a damp cloth in salt water and rub the silver; the stain will disappear, Pots and kettles should not Croe. scraped. Use a piece of sandpaper to remove any burned particles re, discoloration; _ A slice of potato is an epceliy1/ thing to 'c'léaffimwhite oilclotn wlieh. has become disfigured by hot copk- ing utensils. Suet may be kept, fresh by chop- ping roughly and sprinkling ie,yich' a little granulated sugar. ' A small piece of camphor in the, water in which cut fsoivers any placed will make them last muey longer. 78mins on knives depart if the? blade is rubbed with a raw potato dipped in knife powder. with fine salt and Cook in iron, spider. "At the final outcome it's going to be up to the farmers of this country. All the financial men say' it is up to the farmers. They are' going to save Canada if it is to be saved. But while you help to feed the Empire, and while you help tty, put Canada on a sound finaocial ba- sis, at the same time you are help- ing yourselves. Was there ever such a proposal before the farmers. before? The more patriotism, the more production . We know more than we did in the past; now let ur do as much as we know.” "What would you think of the soldier in the trench who dropped his ride and ran? li, you farmers know how you can produce more and don't do it, you are in the same class as the man who would drop. his 1sifle and run. Meetings All Over Province. e [ "We propose to hold meetings all" over the Province. Ive call them: conferences. We will go over the old lessons and bring them home to- the farmers, so they will set them- selves to produce the food the Em-, pire calls for. line of. “’er as any other class im ( the community. {e we stay at. home, and somebody must Stax-y I; home, jet us solve the 'rri"euiiiriht.ik'.l,".d;'-,. We have an equal '"ie,t,ytiyllit, with those who have gone -0 tlysn front, with those in the trenches. Every man must bring it home to- himself on his own farm. “It's not doing your duty simply to read the paper. If you don't take the advice and increase pro- duction you are not oing your duty to yourself, the ominion or- the Empire. _