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‘xl'x’otes and Comme‘hts. {flush of dropping a regular pur- suit and doing nothing thereafter, or as one pleases in the matter of re- creation, may (look attractive on the surface, but invariably leads to dis- appointment and; as a rule, to physx- cal and other ills unknown before. A healthy man wakes up in the morning with a complete day’s work stored up. There is no method of retirement from this provision of nature. The salt of life is the accomplishment of something useful. and this requires more or less of close effort and skill- ful knowledge. People are truly said to be as old as they feel. Among the busrest brains in the world to-day are those of the remarkable old Pre- sident at the Boers and Lord Salis- bury. both past '70 and both carryrng on their shouldrs, Somewhat bent by age though; they be, the cares of a nation. The rule of Queen Victoria’s life has been state and social work promptly and thoroughly perform- ed. Her trip. to Ireland, with its round of functions, has been no light undertaking from one past 80, but her physicians do not conceive that it involved serious risk or. indeed, might not be beneficial. a tradition- that people Work themselves to death. but in such eases the trouble can be traced to irregularities, tretfulness. or neglect of fixed and perfectly well-known laws of health. The proper bodily balance must be maintained by sleep and nut- rition, and spasmodic hurry and {luster must. be avoided. but the cap- able workman may labor on from youth to: age ten hours a day and be all the. better for his steady going along the orbit of years. The deeper mlluenoes back of such a life are pre- eervatz‘ve, not destructive. Avoidance of labor by one capable of it leads inevitably to tedmm and lack on mterest. No one in the midst of his work, pushed with energy and fidelity, complains! of ennui or has an acquaintance with brooding fits of despondency and morbid introspec- tion. And such things rust out vit- ality much; faster than occupation could wear it out. or even an excep- tionally hard grind exhaust it. The adjustment oil mankind to its serious work is a noble study and far more deserving ot a place as a science than what is conventionally called recrea- tion. Periods of rest are good. holi- days have their place. a useful fed 18 n refreshing form. of doing something " the main business of humanity M ealous, workmnlike, continuous "hot as long as strength endures; and it lengthens life as well as sweet- ene it. If any one thinks to bring to here? the man with the hoe let the earlier view of Carlyle be the an- swer: "Venerable to me is the hard handâ€"crooked, coarseâ€"wherein, not- withstanding. lies a cunning virtue, indefensibly royal. as of the scepter of this planet. Venerable. too, is the rugged face, all weather-tanned. be- sotled with its rude intelligence; for it is the face of. a man living man- like.” In forum: years. much more than at present, there was an idea that the goal. of business was to obtain a competency and then "retire." The A recent. 'zondon treatise on re- creation as “science has given rise to a dlSOILSSlOD as to the proper divrsion of waking hours between labor and play. Theattempt to draws lme be- tween vocation and avocation is mis- leading, for work in a great many cases 13 the highest enjoyment. One fallacy to get rid of at the: start is that regular, strenuous work, a full days work as a habit, is injurious. It is idleness or half-hearted effort, not regular occupation. that is car- rosive. The well-kept: machine m motion onflasts any other. There Is ~WWW' The national anthem of the Boers «as written by an old lady who is at .present living a poaceful, obscure life in Holland. This lady; Miss Cather- ine Felicia Van Rees, was born in Hol- land, at Zutphen. in 1831. She is an excellent musician, and in her youth she comPOSrd several operettas WhiCh were performed by the Choral Society of Utrecht. At one of. these per-i (ormances she made the acquaintance‘ of Mr Burgers, a manner of the so- ciety, v ho was at that time studying theology in the Lnitersity oI Utrecht In 1875 Burgers, who in the mean- time had become President of the South African Republic, went back to Europe and renewed the acquaint- anoe of his old friend, Miss Van Rees. One day he begged her .to write a na- tional hymn for the Transvaal, and in a few hours the lady wrote both words and music for what is now the boers' national hymn. The burghers were so pleased with the composition that the Volksraad of Pretoria offi- cially accepted the work and sent Miss Van Rees a letter of thanks and con- gratulations. The composition is very popular among the Boers, and it is said that the British soldiers in South Africa have heard it so often that many of them no“ sing and whistle it. _- How annable your little boy scams 0" be? Yes; we never object. to anything In wants to do. WRITTEN BY A \VOLVIAN. MASTER OF THE SITUATION A despatch from Washington says: â€"-Dr. Talmage preached from theta)- lowing text :--“I am come into my garden.”â€"-Solomon’s Song, v.i. Christ said this to the Church, us- ing a figure that seems very fresh and suggestive this morning, now as the blossoms begin to start, and the parks are alive with birds migrating northward, and our yards are being planted and trimmed. If you have been in the outskirts of the city this morning, as I have been, new that the veil of the darkness and the storm is taken away, you have seen Christ walking amid the hyacinths, and un- der the tree branches, and in the gar- dens, and you have heard His voice more distinctly than you hear my own saying: “ I am come into My gar- den." That would be .a strange garden in which there were no flowers. If no- where else they will be along the bor- ders, or at the gateway. The homeli- est taste will dictate something, if it be the old-fashioned hollyhock, or ' dahlia, or daffodil, or corcopsis; but if there be larger means, then you will find the Mexican cactus and darkâ€" a veined arbutelion, and blazing azalia and clustering Oleander. W'ell, now. Christ comes to His garden, and He plants there some of the brightest spirits that ever flowered upon the world. Some of them are violets, un- conspicuous, but sweet in heaven. You have to search to find them. You do not see them very often, perhaps. but you find where they have been by the brightening face of the invalid, and the sprig of geranium on the stand, and the new window-curtains keeping out the glare of the sunlight. They are, perhaps, more like the ran- unculus, creeping sweetly along amid; the thorns and briars of life, giving‘ kiss for sting, and many a man who has had in his way, some great blacki rock of trouble has found that they have covered it all over with flowery jasamine running in and out amid the crevices. 'lhese Christians in Christ 3 garden are not like the sunflower, gaudy in the light ; but whenever dark- ness hovers over a soul that needs to, l MANY BEAUTIFUL GARDENS. BUT CHRIST LOVES THEM, notwithstanding all their sharpness. Many a man has had very hard ground to culture, and it has only been through severe toil he has raised even the smallest crop of grace. A very harsh minister was talkâ€" ing with a very placid elder, and the placid elder said to the harsh minister: “Doctor.'I do wish you would control your temper.” “Ah," said the minister to the elder, “1 con- control more temper in five minutes than you do in five years.” It is harder for some men to do right than for others to do right. The grace that would elevate “you to the sev- enth heaven might not keep your bro- ther from knocking a man down. I had a friend who came to me and said: "I dare not join the Church." I said; “Why 3’ “Oh." he said: 'I have such a violent temper. Yesterday morning, I was crossing very early at the Jer- sey city ferry, and I saw a milkman pour a large amount of water into the milk can, and 1 said to him: ‘I think‘ that will do,’ and he insulted me, and 6 i I knocked him down. Do you think? I ought to join the Church!" Never-l theless, that very same man, who was! so harsh in his behavrour, loved! Christ, and could not speak of sacred things Without tears of emotion and ! affection. Thorns without, but sweet-i ness withinâ€"the best specimen of Memcan cactus I ever saw. be comforted, there they «stand night- blooming cereuses. But in Christ’s gar- den there are plants that may be bet- ter compared to the Mexican cactus -â€"thorns without, loveiiness withinâ€" men with sharp pomts of character. They wound almost every one that touches them. They are hard to han~ dle. Men pronounce them nothing but. thorns, In this garden of the Church. which Christ has planted, I also find the snowdmps, beautiful but cold look-r ing, seemingly another phase of the. winter. I mean those Christians who are precise in their tastes, uninipas- sioned, pure as Snowdmps and as cold. They never shed any tears, they never get excited, they never say anything rashly, they never do any- thing precipitately. Their pulses never flutter, their nerves never twitch. their indignation never boils over. They live longer than most peeple; but their life is in a minor key They net er run up to "C” above ithe staff. In the music of their life they have no staccato passages. IChrist planted them in the Church, and they must be of some service, or they would not be there; snow-drape, always snowdrops. Many Beautiful Gardens in the World--The Church Compared to a Garden-"The Different Kinds of Flowers--Men’s Character Compared to the Flowers. Rev. Dr. Talmage Discourses on the Springtime. , Again: The Church may be appro- priately compared to a garden, be- cause it is a place of select fruits. That would be a strange ganden uhich had in it no berries, no pin-,Ins no peaches, or apricots. '[he coarser fruits are planted in the orchard, or they are set out on the sunny hill- side; but the choicest fruits are kept in the garden. 50 in the world out- side the Church Christ has planted a great many beautiful thingsâ€"pati- enc.e charity, generosity, integrity; but He intends the choicest fruits to 9.\’- _wâ€" v , His voice He laid the cornerstone of ever hos- , hear my pital the world has ever seen. hen Christ said: “I was in prison, and ye “to My gar~ visited Me," He laid the corner-stone - of every prison reform association garden in that has ever been formed. The ”.3. If no- Church .of Christ is a glorious garden, a the bor- and it is full of fruit. I know there ,8 . is some poor fruit in it. I know. there '1” homeh'tare some weeds that ought to have :thing, if it been thrown over the fence. I know .yhook, or there are some crabapple-trees that -opsi3° but ought to be cut down. I know there “ ’ , are some wild grapes that ought to ‘90 YO“ W‘” be uprooted; but are you going to and darkâ€" destroy the whole garden because of a zing azalia little gnarled fruit? You will find Well now worm-eaten leaves in Fontainebleau, ’ ’ and insects that sting in the fairy 2n, and He groves of the Champs Elysees. You do 9 brightest not tear down and destroy the whole upon the garden because there‘are a few violets un- specnmens of gnarled fruit. I admit , ’ there are men and women in the Ln heaven. Church who ought not to be there; them. You but let us be just as frank, and admit 1n perhaps. the fact that there are hunâ€" ’ dreds and thousands and tens . , of thousands of glorious Christian the invalid, men and womenâ€"holy, blessed, use. mm on the fall, consecrated, and triumphant, rt ins ere is no grander collection in all :w-cu ya ht the earth than the collection of Chris- 1° sun lg ' tians. There are Christian men in k6 the ran- this house, whose religion is not a mat- along amidgter of psalm-singing and church-go- life giving‘ing' .To-morrow morning, that reli‘g- ’ h :ion Will keep them just as consistent a man ‘7 °;and consecrated on “exchange” as it great bIaCI{gever kept them at the communion- I that theyltable. There I:J’L‘lrehwomen here this ,- ;morning 0 a 'g er type of charac- 1th flowery : ter than Mary of Bethany. They not at amidthe ,‘ only sit at the feet of Christ, but they in Christ‘s go , out into the kitchen to help sunflower, ' Martha in her work, that she may sit unever dark- thhere too. There is a woman who . . l _ as have been § A DRUNKEN HUSBAND, gwho has exhibited more faith, and patience. and courage than Hugh Latimer in the fire. He was consum- ed in twenty minutes. Her‘s has been a twenty years’ martyrdom. Yonder is a man who has lain fifteen years on his back, unable even to feed. himself, yet calm and peaceful as though he lay on one of the green banks of hea‘ ven, watching the oarsmen dip their paddles in the crystal river.l Why, ._it seems, to me this moment, as it St. nglul threw to us a pomOIOgist’s catalogue 'of the fruits growing in this great garden of Christâ€"love, joy, peace, patience, charity, brotherly kindness, gentleness, mercy â€" glorious fruit, enough to fill all the baskets of earth and heaven. Fez-fie leiElâ€"Efievgérner-stone of every lunatic asylum that has ever been established. When Christ said to the sick man: ‘Take up t_hy beq and walk," there THEN SHAME ON THE CHURCH. Religion is not a mere flowering senti- mentality. It is a practical, life-giving. healthful fruitâ€"not posies. but ap. pies. “0h," says somebody, “I don’t see what your garden of the Church has yielded.” Where did your asylums come from? and your hospitals? and your institutions of mercy? Christ planted every one of them; He plant. ed them in His garden. When Christ gave sight to Bartimeus, He laid the cornerwstone of every blind asylum that has ever been built. When Christ soothed the demoniac 0! Cali-- i 1 notxce that ihe fine. gardens some- :iimos have high fences around them and I cannot' get in. It is so with Again: the Church, in my text, is appropriately called a garden, because it is thoroughly irrigated. No garden could prosper long without plenty of water. I have seen a garden in the midst of a desert, yet blooming and luxuriant. All around was dearth and barrenness; but there were pipes, aqueducts reaching from this garden up to the mountains, and through those aqueducts the water came streaming down and tossing up into beautiful fountains, until every root, and leaf and flower were saturated. That is like the Church. The Church is a garden in the midst of a great desert of sin and suffering; it: is well irrigated, for “our eyes are unto the bills from whence‘ cometh our help.” From the mountains of God’s strength there flow down rivers of gladness. There is a river, the stream whereof shall make glad the city of our God. Preaching the Gospel is one of these aqueducts. The Bible is another. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are aqu-educts. Water to slake the thirst water to restore, the faint, water to wash the unclean, water tossed hlgh up in the light of the Sun of righte- ousness, showing us the rainbow around ,-the throne. Oh! was there ever a garden so- thoroughly irrigat- ed? You know, that the beauty of Versailles and: Chatsworth depends very much upon the great supply of water. I came to the letter place, Chatsworth, one day when strangers are not to be admitted; but by an inâ€" ducement, which. always seemed as applicable to an Englishman as an American, I got in, and then the gar- dener went. far up above the stairs of stone and TURNED ON THE \VA'H‘JR. I saw it gleaming on the dry pave- ment, coming down from step to stop until it came so near I could hear the m'asmal rush. and all over the high, broad stairs it came foaming, flash- tng, roaring down, until sunlight and wave in. gleesome wrestle tumbled at my feet. Six it is with. the Church of God. Everything come from above, pardon from: above, joy from above, adoption from: above, sanctifioation from above. Oh! that now God would turn on the waters of-sal'vation, that they might flow down through this heritage, and. that. to-day we might find this very place to be "Slim.” with twelve wells of water. and three score. and ten palm-trees. in the garden, and if they are not 3 Some years ago, a vessel struck on ,the rocks. They had only one life- fboat. In that life-boat the passen- gers and crew were getting ashore. ,The vessel had laundered, and was isinking deeper and deeper, and that ,one boat could not take the passen- igers very swiftly. A little girl stood ‘on the deck, waiting for her turn to '5 get into the boat. The boat came and jwentâ€"came and wentâ€"~but her turn Edid not seem to come. After awhile Eshe could wait no longer, and she I leaped on the taffrail, and then sprang Einto the sea, crying to the boat-man: ”Save me next! Save me next 1” Oh, ? how many have gone ashore into God’s ‘mercy, and yet you are clinging .to the wreck of sin. Others have ac- cepted the pardon-of Christ, but you are in peril. Why not, this morning, imake a rush for your immortal res- ;cue, crying until Jesus shall hear you. gand heaven and earth ring with the tcry. “Save me next! Save me next I” gNow is the day of salvation. Now! Now! ‘ This Sabbath is the last for some of you. It is about to sail away for ever. Her bell tolls. The planks thunder back in the gangway. She ishoves off She floats out towards 'the great ocean of eternity. W'ave farewell to your last chance for heav- en. 0h, Jerusalem, Jerusalem! how '. often would I have gathered thee as a 'hen gathereth her brood under her iwings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. ’Invited to revel in a garden, you die :in a desert. May God Almighty, be- j fore it is too late, break that infatua- tion. the King's garden. The only glimpses‘ you ever get of such a garden is when the king rides out in his splendid car- riage. It is not so withl this garden -thls King’s. garden. Ithrow wide open the gate, and tell you all to come in. No monopoly in religion. Whoâ€" ever will, my. Choose now between a desert and a garden. Many of you have tried; the garden of this world's delight. You have tound it has. been a chagrin. Sq it was with; Theodore Hook. He made all the world laugh. He makes us laugh now when we read his. poemsgibut he could not make his xtrL:l.. :. '+hn miflnf ulc- Maw” v..- .. --.~__ . ownrheart laugh. While in 'the midst of ms festivities. he confronted a looking-glass. and he saw himself, and said: ”There; that is true. Ilook just as I am. done up in body, mind, and purse." So it was with Shenstone, of whose garden Intold you at the begxnning of my sermon. He sat down amid those bowers, and said; -“I have lost my road to happiness. I am an- gry, and. envious, and frantic, and de- spxse everything. aromnd me, Just as it becomes a madman to do.” Oh, ye weary souls: come into Christ's garden to-day. and plwck a little heart's-ease. CHRIST IS THE ONLY REST and the only pardon for aperturb- ed-spirit. Do you; not think your chance had almost come! You men and women who have been waiting year after: year for some good op- portumity in which to accept Christ bwt have postponed it five, ten, twenty, thirty years, do you not feel as it: your hour of deliverance, and pardon, and salvation, had come? 0h. mam what grudge hast thou against thy poor soul, that thou wilt not let it be saved? I feel as if salvation must! come this morning. in some at your hearts. MEET :HUS-BA'ND \VITH A SMILE. “I do wish some one would write a few rules for men,” said a young mar- ried woman recently. "I am awfully tired of reading in magazines and newspapers that I must meet my bus-- band when he comeshome from his office ‘pleasantly and cheerfully.‘ That the house must be like a new pin. 1 must be prettily gowned, the dinner must be daintily cooked and served and that he mustn‘t be wor- ried with a recital of the troubles of the day, no matter if delirium super- venes for me." “ This may not be the masculine idea of the case at all; the sterner sex may not really expect to get the whole globe and give nothing in return, but it is not the writer’s fault, if they don‘t. I sedulously' keep all such ar- ticles away from John. for he’s a very good husband, and I’m afraid such literature would put ideas int-0 his head and spoil him. " These precepts are all night theor- etically, and under ordinary circum- stances are practical. Every woman follows them instinmively who wishes to retain her husband’s admiration, but why aren‘t there a few laws of this sorrt laid down for men to fol- low? ‘ " According to the ordinary writer, a woman’s whole married life should be spent in practicing expedients to keep her husband‘s love from growing cold, while he apparently may pursue any course he pleases, civilor uncivil. tyrannical or gentlemanly, and be sure of retaining hers. “Now, poor. unenlightened sout,he has an idea that my Side of the part- nership has its own worries and he tries to help me straighten them out, but who knows how he wouLd change it he ever discovered that he is really made ct china and has to be handled with care to keep from being brok- en.’9 in, and to forbeer to grumble if din- ner is a trifle late for any good rea- son, to be a little sympathetic and af- fectionate, and remember that theirs are not the only troubles 1n the house. Three-year-old Ethel cut; her finger one day. “See, mamma,” she said, bold- ing up the tiny digit for inspection. "my: finger moods." “No, dear.” corrected mamma, bleeds." "Well, see the bled on my finger,’ cried the baby triumphantly. exhibit- ing a crimson spot on the injured fin- 36}: " Why isn’t there some one to tell them to look cheerful when :.hey_cqme vâ€" â€"Vâ€" Ethel regarded the- wound medita- tively; it was only a mere scratch, and directly she announced; "My tin- ger bleeded, but now it has stopped.” “You mean, your tinged bled,” said mamma. Ma'mma gave it. up. INTRICACIES OF ENGLISH. “it. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. INTERNATIONAL LESSON, MAY 20. " Parable of the Sower.” Malt. 13. 1.8, 18-83. Golden Text. like 8. ll. PRACTICAL N OTES. Verse 1. The same day. After the call of his .mother and brothers, relat- ed at the close of chapter 12. Out of the house. The house in Ga'perna- the seaside so that a larger number might listen to his teachings. All the landscape gave him texts, in the farmer sowing his field and the fish- er drawing his net. He sat, because that was the position customary for a teacher. mm which he made his home, perhaps that of Simon Peter. He went to 2. Great multitudes. It was near to the close of the papular period of the Saviour-’3 ministry; but not many weeks later he was left alone with the twelve. A. crowd is not always the token of a successful ministry. Into a ship. This was probably the boat which was kept for his service in pass- ing from place to place along the shore, Mark 3. 9. And sat. This was the customary posture of the rabbis while giving instruction. Mul- titude stood. 0n the northern end of the lake are several small inlets. Where a boat may ride at 11110110? only a few feet from the shores, which slope gently up on each side. forming a natural amphitheater. 3. He spake many things. This ap- pears to have been the beginning of his practice at teaching in parables. Of those given at this time Matthew has recorded seven, and Mark an ad- ditional one. Doubtless there were many others which were not written. But we are not to suppose that the preaching is lost which remains un- published. In parables. A good de- finition of a parable is that of Ly- man Abbott: "A. fictitious narra- tive, true to nature, yet undecep- tive, veiling a spiritual truth under a symbol, for the purpose of conveying it to minds reluct- ant or indifferent.” It taught some things to the indifferent, drove the truth home to the thoughtful and inquiring. Behold. Perhaps empasiz- ing his words by pointing to a farmer at work on the terraced hillside. A sewer. The sewer is, first of all, Christ. himself, who is present when~ ever truth is taught; next, his apos- tles, or immediate disciples; but also who labor in Christ's cause, whether teachers or lay workers. Went forth. n the East the farmer never lives up. on his farm, but always in the village, from which he goes forth to his fields, which are often at a distance. 4. Some seeds The seed is not all truth, but Gospel truth. that which brings salvation to those who receive it. By the wayside. There are no fences in the East, but the fields are separated by beaten paths, upon which some of the seed will be sure to fall. Such are the hearts beaten intog hardness by the rush of worldly and sensual thoughts, so that they are not open to the truth, which falls upon them, but does not. enter them. The fowls. Revised Version, “the birds", Just as the birds pick up the seed on the hard ground, so do the light thoughts and frivolous utterances drive away the impression of the truth from the careless hearer. Be- ware of the wandering thoughts, which are Satan's messengers. See verse 19. c u 5. Strong places. Revised Version, “rocky places;" not places where stones and soil intermingled, but where the rock beneath] is thinly covered with earthâ€"an emblem; of the shallow natures which seem. to be converted when only. the surface of the emo- tions is stirred, while the heart be- low remains unyielding. Forth-with they sprung up. Because‘ the rock beneath wee warmer than the soil, and started, a premature but tran- sient: growth. So, the weak, empt- tional nature is often the soonest to be aroused in time of revival. Let us not' suppose that were excitement is true conviction. 6. When the sun was up. In the late spring, rains the seed quickly germinates, only, to be as quickly burned out. by the hot summer sun. Because they, had no root. During the long drought of summer the sur- face soil {becomes very dry, and only those plants liven} Whose roots reach down to moisture below. Ihey with- ered away. Every revival will furnish instances of this class, people of emo- tional nature, but weak will, easily influenced by circumstances. When they drop back to their former state of Sim they are often called backsl'id- ers, when in reality they were never genuinely converted. The Christian character that cannot stand trial is not real, but only seeming. 7. Some fell among the thorns. These are very abundant in Palestine, asin all countries, where they are permit- ted to find a place. In the parable, as Christ tells us, they represent ”the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the pleasures of this life.” Thorns will grow for themselves, but good seed must be planted and cared for. Choked them. They do not always kill the seed, but they prevent it from [full development, so that it brings no fruit to perfection, Luke 8. 14. How many starve their souls that they may supply their bodies! Better be poor here then poor here-after.. 8. But others. Notice that in'no in- etance is the seed different. Truth is the same wherever it falls upon the heart. Good ground. Representing the hearts which are receptive, tender, and ready to make good use of: the Gospel. What kind of soil is your heart? Brought forth fruit. This is the pur- pose of all the toil, fruit which will repay the farmer for his toil. In the application it represents the renewed character wrought by the Gospel, and the ennobling influence which such a character exerts. Fome a hundredfold some sixtyfoid. A single kernel of wheathas been known to produce 12 hundred grains; but in the East the usual harvest is tromt twenty to suty times the amount of the aeod. So there are natures from winch teat giggogcs come from the Gospel see . It fell in the heart pt Saul 01F Tarsus. and unnumbered have been the re- sults. It quinkened the soul of John Wesley, and the harvest is world- wide. Some thirty-told. Some dis- ciple may say. "No results have come from my salvation.” Dombtless there might be a larger harvest from many, but no one knows how. many are, in- sensibly influencedl by a single god- ly lite lived in their presence. g 23. Astonishing stories are told of wheat and barley harvesting in the East. He that heareth the word, and understandeth it. Who seeks to know God’s will, accepts what he under- ‘stands, and seeks to live it, beareth fruit. It seed and soil are good, the fruits of the Spirit. are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. All these spring from the good ground in which has been planted' the Gospel. The graces of the Beatitudes beautify it. {Some a hundredfold, some sixty, some ithirty. All good soils are fruitful, but not all are equally productive. 'Talents and opportunities greatly ;vary. 7118. Hear ye theretare the fiérable of th§e_ eager. Listem to ‘its explanation. 19. The. word of the kingdom is the Gospel, the teachings that would hal- low. God‘s name, bring. about his con- trol of forces, and do his will on earth as it: is in» heaven. But "GOSpel teaching is sometimes not u-nderstood because all. human hearts are not teachable. The seed is good, but the soil is unfertile. It is like the tramp-1 ed earth; of the wayside. W'orrl-i ment, pleasures, and a thousand earthly interests have passed over the heart, as the camels: and‘ burden- ed! donkeys; and numbers of men pass over Eastern: roe-d8. until it is all hard and dusty. It 13 no longer ' improvable. It needs the Gospel plow, like the preaching of another John the Bap- tist, to break its solid surface. so that the showers of mercy and the rising of the Sun of righteousness may turn it again into arable soil. 22. The care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches. The anxieties of the {poor and the ease of mind of the rich are both alike thorns. They are weeds. which, while they do not always prevent the seed of the kmdgom from germinating in the heart, “strangle” it, and make the life unfruitful. No one can be a service- able Christian, a useful child of God, who is care-stricken, constantly wor- ried by his troubles and reSponsibili- ties. Christ leads us through no darker rooms than he went through before. We have the repeated prom- less of God that his blessings will abundantly meet our needs, and if we cannot repose on those promises, we forfeit a large share of our use- fulness. 0n the other hand. the comfort that comes from wealth is even more hostile to the growth of the Gospel spirit. It a man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Remember that these thorns grow implanted, and the better the soul the more apt- they are to grow, it the soil has not already been pre- em-pted for the plamting of the good 20. 21. Stoney places. Ready emotion is not a sure Sign of either shallow- ness or depth of nature; but superfi- cial peeple are easily moved. Just as the sun dries up surface soil quickly, just as the rain moistens the surface first, so every slight movement at- fects some people. But they lack ‘root," they have no deep apprehension of di- vine truth. Tribulation in this world, we are assured elsewhere by our Lord, we shall have; persecution is sure to come Where the spirit of Satan is strong enough to venture on it; and it requires a person od.’ some depth and substance to stand up against persecution and tribulation. The thoughtless, superficial character is offended. "It is a thought very full of comfort, however, that the ferti- lity of our hearts, unlike that of the soil, is under the control of our own wills." Perhaps no lady was ever better reconciled to positive ugliness in her own person than the Duncahess of Or- leans, the 'mother ,of the Regent: D'- Orleans, who, governed France durmg the minority of Louis XV. Thus she speaks of her own appearance and manners: "My face was large, with fat check. and my figure was short and Stumpy m short, I was a very homely son 0. peroSOn. Echpz; for she goodness 0. my disposition, no one. would have er. dured me. 11 was impossible to dis cover anything like intelligence in my eyes, except with a microscope. Per- haps there was not on ihz: liar? of tho earth such another pair of ugly hand. as mine. The King often told me so and set me laughing about it; for 3.». l was quite sure of being. very ugly I made up: my mind Lu bu always My; first to laugh at it. This succeedcmE very well,, Lhough I must. confess i; furnw'hed me with agood stock of materials for; la ughter.” Had a bad night, replied the king of beasts. I dreamed I was on the road again with a circus, growling to order. Gracious! How you roared in your sleep Iasg "_igh_l;!_ §aid Mrs. Lion. “From my earliest years 1 was aware how ordinary my appearance was. and (lid am like that people should look at me attentively. 1 never paid any. attention Lu dress. became diamonds and dress were sure 1.0 at.- tract auentiun. 0n: great days my husband used to make me rouge, which 1 did greatly; against. my will, as_ I hate everything Lhul inmmumam me. One. day I made th Countesa SOISSODS laugh heartily. She asked my why I never turned my head win-nave ’ I passed before a mirrorâ€"awryholy else did. I answered. because 1 hed too wuuh self-love. L0 beat-r ihv sxgm of my own ugliness. I must have he. 3; Very ugly in my youth. 1pm}. nu sow: of features; with little mekung gym. a short snub nose. and long th'K 11;»: the whole of my physnognomy was in from attractive. NIGHTMARE IN THE JUNGLE HER CON FESSION . WJM’Em WHAT JOHN BULL AND HIS PEOPLE AHE DOING. Record of Occurrences la the Land That Reigns Supreme in the Commercial World. In materials khaki is being employ- an more than any other rubric, not only for our soldier’s uniforms, but for ladies’ dress. The street railways at the United Kingdom increased their total grosl receipts last year 81,597,380. The pantaloons of King William IV: are exposed for sale in a London curl-v oeity shop! TOgether with his garter. ribbon, and star, this historic lot is being given away for the bagatelle 0! six guineas. Ballister Castle, near Haltwhistlo. the residence of Dr. Jackson, was re~ Gently completely destroyed by fire, It is supposed the mice had got among matches in a cupboard, thus causing the outbreak. ‘The \Vakefield Cathedral Extension Committee has accepted the tendel of a Leeds firm for the enlargement of \Vakefield Cathedral 2.8 amemoriel of the late Dr. Walshann How. first bishop of the diocese. The amount of the contract is over £24,000- A. shocking discovery was made at Hertford recently. A married woman. named Saoh, aged 35. and her infant child were found in their bedroom dead, with their throats out. It is supposed the woman first murdered the baby and then committed suicide. Her husband, who was a horse- breeder, died only ten days previous- ly, and she is stated to have given‘ way to drink. The head constable of Liverpool has issued his annual report concerning crime and police, and in it he re- views the improvement affected dur- Ing the last sixty years. Indictablc crima, that is, all serious crime. has decreased, in proportion to the popu- lation. by at least four-fifths dut- ing that pe'riod, while the reduction in the cases of drunkenness has been remarkable. The Cream police recently reported to the Cheshire coroner the portion-- lars of an extraordinary death. The deceased is Mary Foulks, widow. aged 85, and it transpired that she went upstairs to bed, but was next morn- ing found at the back door, bleeding from terrible injuries. The only ex- planation she was able to give was that she got through the bedroom window, thinking she was getting to 'Mr. Alfred L. Jones, the head of the firm of Elder, Dempstet 80 C0» 11“ been elected chairman of the Liver- pool Steamship Owners‘ Association for the current year, in succession td Mr. James H. Ismay. of the White Star Line; and Mr. Edmund John- ston. of the Johnston Line. has been appointed vice-chairman. Influenza has claimed a victim in the person of the oldest inhabitant of the Wavency Valley district, Mrs. Charlotte Draper, of Mettingham. Mrs. Draper was born in 1801, and married in 1827, subsequently livin at the Valley Farm. Mettingham, til the time of her deathâ€"a period of about 73 years. She was remarkably vigorous and genial, and conducted her own business as a farmer for something like 40 years. Up till the last she could read the newspapers without the aid of glasses.» It has been said that certain meal- bers of the Cabinet are too old for their work, Now, the average age of members is about sixty-one years. Viscount Cross, who win he seventy- seven in May, is the oldest, and the flight Hon. W. H. Long, who was only forty-five last July, is the youngest. But the ages of President McKinley and his Cabinet. vary from sixty-four and a half to fifty and a half, while the average is just sixty years and one month. Thus, in the United States. the land of young men. LitUe Sister, stngriiyâ€"Now, you do what 1 say. ' Little Brotherâ€"I won’t. Little Sisterâ€"You won’t. eh? Oh, don’t I wish we Was grown up, and you was my husband. Irate Citizenâ€"I am going to kill you. --ir. for calling me a liar. Western Editor, cafmiy- "that won't change my‘opinion at an. The Rev. Clifford Rickards is about to retire from the chaplaincy of the Dartmoor convict establishment. Mr. Richards has been chaplain at Dart- moor for nearly a quarter of a cen- tury, and he has had a remarkable eXperience. A discharged convict was once caught by Mr. Rickards trying to break into the chaplain’s house. There was a severe struggle, and the burglar attempted to murder the chaplain with a large knife. Mr. Rick- ards whipped outarevolver and shot the man. The effect was fatal, and the chaplain proceeded to administer in his spiritual capacity to the dying Ladyâ€"l w am you to take this dog back. He is handsome I admit but he can’t. be taught anything at all, and is. of no earthiy use. Dealer, slowlyâ€"Yâ€"e-s. mum, Iknow, mum, but just think wot a fine rug he‘ll make when he's dead the average age is only eleven months less than in our own Cabinet, though it will be noticed that of really old men in the American Cabinet there '0' vâ€" are none. As to the Canadian Govern- ment, the average for the Whole' Cabiâ€" net is about fifty-six years and ten iuonths. FROM ENGLANB. :5. better half: You see, I don't fiant : take an unfan' advantage of you. You. argue I: ke an iaiox. angrily exâ€" .immi the husband. 1 know it, my dear, caImly, replied AFTER THE tiL)NEYMOON LOOK lNi ‘: FORW’ ARI). “'OR’I'H KEEPING A FIXED OPINION,