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while in his native lanJ: but in
Sunbury he was brought face to
faca with them. He could not
fail to notice that their pistor,
Rev. C O. Scriven, was an able
man, and that some of his own
gatrons were members of the
laptist church. But Mr. Shan
non did not, at first, look with
favor upon the sect which, no
doubt, he had often heard spoken
against from his very childho >d.
He very soon undertook, at the
request of his pedobaptist breth
ren (if my memory is not at ftult
the request came from the Pres
bytery of that section), to write a
pamphlet designed to prove the
validity of infant baptism and of
sprinkling as its mode.
He entered upon the task with
great assurance that he would
easily sweep away the founda
tions of our Baptist faith. But it
happened to him as it had hap
pened to many others who had
tried the same experiment. He
failed to find in the New Testa
ment a trace of infant baptism,
and his classical learning enabled
him to see that “baplizo,” when
li erally used, can never be rep
resented in English by either
“sprinkle” or “pour.” The re
sult was that in a few months Mr.
Shannon presented himself to the
Baptist church at Sunbury as a
candidate for baptism. He was
received and was baptized by the
pastor, who, if I mistake not,wis
Rev. Chariest) Scriven. Indue
time he was ordained to the min
istry in the Baptist church.
Bro. Shannon s rise in the de
nomination was rapid. He soon
became known as a scholar, a
teacher, and as a veryjstrong ar d
forcible preacher In a few years
he was called to Augusta. There
he became principal of the Acad
emy and also served the Baptist
church as its pastor, His fame
was widespread through the de
nomination.
From Augusta, as already
stated, he was called to the chair
of ancient languages in the State
College. And I have already
given an account of his career in
Athens
His fame passed beyond the
limits of Georgia. In 1835 he re
ceived a call to become the presi
dent of a college in Louisiana.
This he accepted, and left Athens
in the autumn of that year. He
had remained in Louisiana only
a few years when he was offered
the presidency of the University
of Mssouri. This post he held
till the close, or near the close,of
his life.
It is perhaps proper to close
this brief notice of Bro. Shannon
by stating that after he left Geor
gia he very soon identified him
self with the followeisof Alex
ander Campbell, and was thus
lost to the Baptist denomination.
This was indet d greatly deplored
by all his brethren in Georgia
who had known him. But there
is no doubt about the genuiness
of his piety; and, if I get to
heaven, I feel assured that I shall
meet him there.
563 S. Pryor st , Atlanta.
Baptist Posi'ion Stated and Contrast
ed- Relation of Children to the
Church.
BY G. A. LOFTON, D D.
Vlll.
The Scriptures clearly teach
that children are in a state of sin.
David said that he was shapen
in iniquity, anil iu sin did his
mother conceive him. We are
‘‘by nature the children of wrath. ”
' ‘That which is born of the flesh is
flesh”—that is, sinful. This state
of sin into which infancy is born
being true, it is also clear that
the infant needs salvation, just as
the adult needs it; and if so, it
must also be true that somehow
if the infant dies before the years
pf accountability,it must be saved
through Christ, whose blood
alone can cleanse from sin.
When David’s child died he
consoled himse f with the reflec
tion that, while the child could
not come back to him, he could
go to it; and as David was a saved
man, whose destiny was heaven,
he meant that his child was
saved. Christ said: “Suffer the lit
tie children, and forbid them not,
to come unto me;" and this com
mand implies that the children
need his saving grace, and is
therefore consistent with the
Scriptures, which teach that in
fancy rests under the guilt of or
iginal sin. Infants die and thus
suffer the physical penalty of
sin, even as does the adult; and
no doubt Paul referred to this
■ fact when he says that “death
reigned from Adam unto Moses,
even over them that had not
sinned after the ‘likeness of
Adam’s transgression.’ ” This
is an additional fact confirmatory
of the necessity of infant saiva
tion based upon the efficacy of
Christ’s atonement and implied
in Christ’s invitation to the “lit
tle children” to “came” unto
him.
There are many and conflicting
views regarding infant redemp
tion and infant relation to the
kingdom of Christ. The French
peasants regard infants as ani
mals before baptism; and their
superstitious confiderce is per
fectly satisfied in the Romish de
lusion that the child is made
human through baptismal re
generation. The Pelagian holds
that every infant is born pure
and innocent without any inheri
tance of depravity- Itisa'ready
saved, or, rather, needs no saiva
tion. The Arminian holds that
the child is born in a state of de
pravity, without justification or
regeneration; but it is born under
the “free gift,” the effects of the
righteousness of “one,” which is
extended to all men; and this free
gift is bestowed upon them in
order to justification of life. How
the infant is justified the Armi
nian claims not to know, as he
does in the case of the tdult by
faith; but he says that the Holy
Spirit maybe given to children —
a divine and effectual influence
may be exerted upon them —to
cure the spiritual death and cor
rupt tendency of their nature.
Upon this ground the infant may
be baptized and so related visibly
to the kingdom of God. The
Presbyterian puts the children
of believing parents under the
covenant of grace with their
parents, and the child is baptized
and so related to the kingdom of
Christ by reason of parental faith
and relationship. This is the
hereditary holiness idea, and the
Presbyterian finds its parallel in
the covenant of circumcision,
which embraced the Abrahamic
family. The ritualist regards
the infant as under the bond of
original sin, and he baptizes the
child in order to make it a child
of God and an heir of heaven.
Without this baptism the child is
lost, or at least without the pale
of God’s covenant and favor, and
without relation to Christ’s king
dom. The Campbellite, who is
a Pelagian in doctrine and a
Romanist in ceremony as to the
adult, denies the depravity of in
fants and thus dodges infant bap
tisin. The New School likewise
holds that before moral consci
ousness the infant is innocent,
and that he is neither condemned
in Adam nor justified by Christ.
Emmons went so far as to hold
that the child was a mere animal
before becoming a moral agent,
just as the French peasants hold;
but he holds that if it die in this
state it is annihilated and that
baptism would have no power to
change its state.
Os course ail these theories are
extra-Scriptural, and the many
different views of the subject
go to show the folly of at
tempting to formulate creeds to
cover what God has not revealed.
The only inference which has
any plausibility is that of the
Presbyterian, who thinks bap
tism comes in the place of cir
cumcision and that the infant rite
in the Christian, as in the legal,
dispensation, puts the child in
covenant relations with God
through the holiness of faith of
the parent ; and yet this theory,
or-inference, is wholly at variance
with the New r Testament idea of
Christ’s kingdom of believers—
relationship to which is based
upon personal faith and volun
tary obedience in baptism. All
the other theories are at sea
without even the shadow of an
alogy, much less the guidance of
any precept or example in the
New Testament. As seen here
tofore, infant baptism and re
lationship W’ith the church origi
nated in the latter half of the
second century one hundred and
fifty years after Christ, at least
in Northern Africa, and grew
out of the heresy of baptismal
regeneration in view of original
sin another heresy which began
to develop earlier in the second
century of the Christian era.
The Baptist view of the sub
ject is the only rational view as
based upon the little that reve
lation presents upon the subject.
It is clear that Christ loved little
children and recognized them as
possessed of a relative innocence
as compared with those who have
personally transgressed God’s
law’; and he characterizes them
as having the spirit of transpar
ent simplicity, gentleness, sub
missiveness, docility, trustful
ness and other like qualities
w’hich should be the mark of his
people. “ Suffer the little chil
dren, and forbid them not, to
come unto me, for of such ( unto
such, such like) is the kingdom
of heaven.” So he said again:
“Except ye be converted and be
come as little children, ye shall
in nowise enter into the kingdom
of heaven.” Here it is not hinted
that the child is not inherently
born in sin, or that it is not sinful
though sinless; but the charac
ter of the child not yet grown up
in transgression is the likeness
Christ draws as essential to the
evidence that we are the children
of God. Moreover, because of
the child’sTelative innocence and
on account of its character and
helplessness, Christ makes the
child the subject of his compas
sion and protection; and he evi
dently implies that in case of
death the ‘ ‘little ones” are saved
by bis grace. He tells us that
whoso receiveth one such little
child as he had described, in his
name, received him; and that if
any one should offend, or cause
to stumble, one of the little ones,
it would be better for such an
offender to be drowned in the
sea. with a millstone about his
neck. “In heaven,” said the
Master, “their angels do always
behold the face of my Father who
is in heaven.” Again Christ says
that it is not the will of the heav-
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX: THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 21. 1896.
enly Father “that one of the lit
tle ones should perish.” It is
argued of course here that the
“little ones ’spoken of are Chris
tians characterized as little chil
dren. Let it be so; but if those
who are thus typified are to be
saved, the little types are cer
tainly the objects of Christ’s
compassion and care, and will
not be lost if they should die in
their infancy.
Now while the implication is
clear that infants are sinful and
lost by nature—while it is clear
that they need salvation—while
it is clearly implied that they are
saved by the blood of Christ,
when they die—the method of
their salvation is not revealed.
There is not a single precept or
example in the Scriptures for
their baptism or relation to the
church, by which to indicate that
the infant is previously saved by
grace, or to indicate that it is
saved through the process of
baptism and church relations.
God has wholly left us in the
dark as to his mode of saving the
infant; and, without baptism or
church relations, it is relegated
to the parent to be brought up
“in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord.” As said before,
the family, and not the church
not the Sunday school, is the
nursery oi the children; and when
they have grown upand believed,
then they are led into the church
by baptism. Whether the infant
is regenerated by the Holy Spirit
at the moment of death, or
whether it is transformed by the
sight of Christ, through the
Spirit, as it reaches paradise, we
do not know. There is no evi
dence, revealed or unrevealed,
that the infant is ever regener
ated before it dies; but it is clear
that if it is saved by grace
through the blood of Christ, it is
regenerated at death, or after
death, by the Holy Spirit.
That the infant is saved may
be inferred also from certain
Scriptures which declare God’s
provision of grace as universal
as the fall and ruin of man.
Christ, as the Lamb of God slain
from the found a* ion of the world,
came to “take away the sin of
the world. ” This was the radical
sin by which all were lost and
for which Christ atoned, and this
being the only sin of which the
dying infant could be guilty, the
blood of Christ would leave it
justified before God and the Holy
Ghost would accompany such
justification with regeneration.
“God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten Son” etc;
and this love for all the world in
cludes Xhe infant, if it die, as it
includes the adult if he believe,
in actual salvation. By Adam’s
disobedience many were made
sinners; by the obedience of
Christ many ar© made righteous.
Now,as without any personal act
of its own the infant inherited
Adam's sin, so without any per
sonal act of its own, salvation
is provided for the dying infant
through Jesus Christ’s righteous
ness. Paul teaches that in Adam
“all sinned,’and this includes the
infant and adult alike; but Paul
says further, that “from Adam
until Moses death re'gned over
them that had not sinned after
the likeness of Adam's trans
gression, who is the figure of him
that was to come.” Now there
is an application to infants, in
this passage,of the life of Christ,
as there is an application to them
of the death of Adam; for evi
dently infants are meant by those
who “sinned not after the like
ness of Adam’s transgressions,”
who nevertheless died under the
physic il death penalty of the
law, but when sin is covered, if
they die, by the blood of him
who is prefigured by the first
Adam.
But here we leave the subject.
The method of saving the adult
by repentance and faith and of
relating him by baptism to the
kingdom or church of God, upon
a profession of his faith is clearly
revealed;but any method of sav
ing the child, or of relating
him to the church, cannot be
found in all the range of God’s
word. Let us follow what is
written, and leave unrevealed
things to < Jod. All our trouble
arises from what we fancy in
or infer from the Scriptures.
Natural Enjoyments.
God meant that we should
rightly enjoy the good things of
this life. He made things in the
natural world for human enjoy
ment. He created things of
beauty birds, fields, flowers,
charming landscapes that in
part at least they might minister
to man's enjoyment. In proper
human society, also, God would
have us find the sweets of whole
some enjoyment. Right social
entertainments may be enjoyed
by Christians to the praise of
God. And as we enjoy them we
should thank God for them.
F. W. Robertson, referring to
the marriage at Cana of Galilee,
says: “It was his glory to de
clare the sacredness of all natural
enjoyments. In was not a mar
riage only, but a marriage feast,
to which Christ conducted his
disciples. Now, we cannot get
over this plain fact by saying
that it was a religious ceremony;
that would be sophistry. It was
an indulgence in the festivity of
life. As plainly as words can de-
scribe, here was a banquet of
human enjoyment. The very
language of the master of the
feast, about men who had well
drunk, tells us that there had
been, not excess of course, but
happiness there and merry
making. Neither can we explain
away the lesson by saying that
it is no example to us, for Chritt
was there to do good, and that
what was safe for him might be
unsafe for us. For if his life is
no pattern for us Here in this
case of accepting an invitation,
in what can we be sure it is a
pattern? Besides, he took his
disciples there, and his mother
was there; they were not shield
ed as he was by immaculate
purity. He was there as a guest
at first, as Messiah only after
ward; thereby he declared the
sacredness of natural enjoy
ments.”
Some people have taken the
record of this marriage feast as
an encouragement to social revel
ry, but it gives no such war
rant. It only shows the legiti
mateness and sanctity of the
proper useof naturil enjoyments.
Let us honor Christ in all such
enjoyments. He will be with us
in rightly participating in them.
C. 11. Wetherbe.
The Words of Jesus.
by o c. i*.
Our Savior, while on earth, in
order to establish his claims, re
lied upon two lines of evidence
—his wordsand his works. The
former were to remain for all
time to testify of him. And,
what wondrous hold the words
of Jesus have had and still have
on men’s hearts and lives. “Nev
er man spake like this man.”
The words of Jesus have won and
held human hearts from his day
on and on through all the centu
ries. To day, the words of Je
sus are read and loved and re
membered by millions of beings.
Men have tried to impeach them,
but in vain. There is something
sweet, soothing, impressive, au
thoritative in the words of Jesus.
I have often thought that the
power that the words of Jesus
have had and are having is one
of the greatest of all miracles.
Just think of it! You take up
the New Testament and open it
and what is before you? A poor,
despised, persecuted, rejected,
wandering teacher is seen going
about doing goed. What was
there, humanly speaking, that
would indicate the hold that Je
sus of Nazareth has had upon the
thought, feeling and action of
mankind? But, yet, he has been
and is the mightiest of all forces
in the world, quickening and vi
talizing all true ejjHlization. His
Gospel has dor?4*ii'bre than sci
ence, philosophy, art, literature
and all other agencies combined
to develop and up-build mankind.
Why, if you could, by some gi
gantic upheaval, eliminate the
Gospel and all that the Gospe
has done, you would cast this
world back in a chaos of dark
ness, ignorance and barbarism
which Byron’s dream of darkness
would most fittingly describe.
Millions there are who would die
for Jesus. I know there is not
much of the spirit of true self de
nial among professing Christians
many do not know from experi
ence what sacrifice means and
what they give to Chris /s cause
they do not miss. They have
never had their souls to thrill
with the joy of actually denying
self. But, there are some to
whom Jesus is so unspeakably
precious that they would lay
down life itself to attest their de
votion. Many have done so and
as they were bound to the stake
or tied to the rock and gave up
life for Christ, they sang songs
of praise that they were counted
worthy to suffer for him.
Reader, what are the loving
words of Jesus to you? With
all the evidence you have at
hand as to his divine nature and
savingpower, you willjbe without
excuse before God. Will you not
open your heart to him now and
receive him as Savior?
Sweetwater, Tenn .
Modern Giants.
BY E. H. WALKER.
Living in the noonday splendor
of such magnificent lives as those
of Boyce, Manly, Broadus,Battle,
Sanford, Willett, Ryals, and our
much lamented Kilpatrick, who
so recently fell asleep, we are
liable to grow “used” to them, and
thereby fail in our appreciation
of their greatness, till God sends
the heavenly chariot with fiery
steed and angel driven to con
vey them home again. This
world is not their home. They
were, and are, citizens of heav
en. God only loans them to us
for awhile, as ministers pleni
potentiary from the court of Je
hovah and Christ the Lord.
We are prone to be retrospec
tive when looking for giants in
Emanuel’s Kingdom, and to be
come meditative and sad because
there are no more giants among
God’s children, like Chrysoston,
Luther, Calvin, Wycklif, Mer
cer, Dawson, Jeter, etc. But
athwart the full horizon of God’s
mountain chain of; Christlike
great ones—giants in the king
dom—none are broader of
shoulder nor greater in stature
than these modern giants The
matchless dignity, irresistible
sweetness and charm of manner,
unswerving fidelity to truth and
virtue, coupled with those hur
culean traits of ceaseless activ
ity and unflinching courage,
crowned with a glorious resem
blance to the mighty Son of God
in his transcendent, all glorious,
inexpressible perfection and ce
lestial beauty, from whom they
received all their greatness,
stamp them at once the equal of
any, and the peers of many of
the .giants of any age in the
world’s history.
Our Father, we thank thee
with all our heart for the inesti
mable blessing of the gift of
these brethren. We earnestly
beseech thee to vouchsafe to us
a continuance of their like, for
Christ’s sake. Amen.
Montgomery, Ala.
For the Ispkx.
Not Party But Principle.
REV T. H. STOUT.
Some people are very much
wedded to their party; they are
afraid to vote their convictions
for fear somebody will taunt
them with, ‘‘You have deserttd
your party.” There are thou
sands of intelligent men in Geor
gia who believe that the prohibi
tion of the liquor traffic is the
most important issue before the
State; and I think they are right.
What has caused more pover
ty, misery and suffering to the
people of Georgia than any one
other one thing, yea, than all
other things combined? There
can be but one answer, and that
answer is,the barrooms. Yet there
are Christian men. and even some
ministers, who are afraid to go
to the ballot box and vote as their
consciences direct for fear of the
criticism of others, and those oth
ers whisky men and friends to the
grog shop. Just think of it, some
preachers are afraid to take a
stand for God and morality and
temperance less some friend of
the barrooms should say, “He
has left his pulpit and gone into
politics.”
No, my brother, you will only
show that you have placed prin
ciple above party, which you
ought to do. The Master says,
“Render toCiesarthe things that
are Cm sar’s and to God the things
that are God’s.”
As a Christian man, you can
not afford to surrender your con
victions of duty to Caesar nor to
Caasar’s party. My judgment
tells me that the barrooms are
the prolific source of njpst of the
trouble, suffering and crime of
our State. Does not your judg
ment tell you the same thing?
Well, my conscience admonishes
me, as a patriot, a lover of my
rice and a friend to God that it
is my duty to vote to destroy
these fountains of wretchedness
and woe, these irreconcilable en
emies of my country, my people
and my God. Doesn’t your con
science admonish you to do the
same thing?
I shall vote, by the help of
God, for the men who will help
me to smash these agencies of
Satan; I will not vote for the
Democrat, the Populist nor the Re
publican, but for principle.
My brother, do not be deceived
by the saloon men, nor terror z?d
by whiskeyized party men, but be a
man, stand up like a man, and go
to the polls and vote for men for
the legislature who have the
courage and backbone to deliver
our beloved State from the curse
of the barrooms, be those men
Democrats, Populists or Republi
cans.
I am for God, humanity and
home; hence I am for principle,
and not for party.
Thomaston, Ga., Aug. 27, 1896.
Seek for God in everything,
and for everything in God. Only
thus will you be able to bridle
those cravings which distract the
heart. The presence of the king
awes the crowd into silence.
When the full moon is in the
nightly sky, it makes the heav
ens bare of flying cloud rack, and
all the twinkling stirs are lost in
the peaceful solitary splendor.
So let delight in God rise in our
souls, and lesser lights pale be
fore it—not cease to be, but add
their feebleness, unnoticed, to its
radiance. The more we have our
affections set on God, the more we
shall enjoy. If we have God for
our “enduring substance” we can
say:
“Give what Thou canst, without Thee I
am poor;
And with Thee, rich, take what Thou
wilt away.”
Dr. James McGregor, of the
Established Cnurch, Edinburgh,
tells the story of his calling at
the house of one of his parish
ioners and found no one at home
but a little boy six or seven years
old. The child did not recognize
the minister without his Geneva
gown and bands, and as a means
of entertainment invited him to
go out to the stock lot to see the
pigs. The doctor assented, and
when they reached the pen, the
small boy pointed out the indi
vidual pigs by name, and finally
wound up with: “An’ that little
lame runt over in the corner
there, we juist ca’ Jimmie Ma
c
the
Any publication mentioned in this de
partment may be obtained of the
American Baptist Publication So
ciety, 98 Whitehall St., Atlanta, Ga
When prices are named they include
postage.
The Editors of the Christian Index
desire to make this column of service
to their readers They will gladly
answer, or have answered, any quee
tions regarding books. If you desire
books for certain lines of reading, or
desire to find out the worth or pub
lisher of any book, write to them.
A History of the Baptists in the
Western States East of the
Mississippi. Justin A Smith, D.D.
American Baptist Publication So
ciety, Philadelphia. $1.25.
This is the first of a series of Baptist
histories covering the various sections
of the country. The States covered by
this were early settled by Baptists Al
most parallel with its occupation by the
pioneers was its occupation by Baptists
The history of the section, however, in
volves but little more than a record of
advancing events keeping pace with the
natural advance of the country. Great
and interesting questions come into
play in the South and in New England
that will give peculiar interest to these '
volumes when they appear. In the
Middle-West it was indeed necessary
to fight anti-missions, but the great
struggle was to overcome pioneer con
ditions. We regret that Dr. Smith did
not give us at least one chapter on the
contest with Campbellism, which while
originating in the East found its ac
tivity to no little extent in the West.
The most notable factors revealed are
the development of strong laymen,
the manning of pulpits by strong men
from the East, and the anticipation of
the future seen in the erection of large
churches with debts that embarrassed
the future but yet provided for its needs.
The history of Dr. Smith is full of facts
carefully stated and dated. We think
the dates of the organization of the
B Y. P. U A. -are somewhat confused,
however. The subjects of education,
journalism and general denomination
work receive special treatment. The
volume is very valuable, but would in
terest other sections more if it dealt
with great principles and leading
events.
Yachow and Burma. Wm. McUp
ersft. American Baptist Publication
Society Philadelphia. Price 35 cts.
Rev. Wm Upcraft was one of the
missionaries in Western China who was
driven out by the Chinese over a year
ago during the riots. The first part of
this little book deals with the escape
while the last part tells of a trip made
by Mr. Upcraft to Burmah, while thus
prevented from working on his field. It
is a view of missions through the eyes
of a missionary. It will be found more
than interesting.
The Methodist Review. Septem
ber, October (bimonthly.) The Pub
lishing House of the M E Church,
South. Price $2.00. 35 cts. a copy.
We cannot but deplore that Baptist
must depend for this class of reading on
reviews of other denomination It is
so, and as it is so this review will
be found a very fine one This issue
deals wi> h a good variety of themes It<
publishes the Journal of Thomas Coke,
giving his life as a bishop The Mod
ern Evangelist is well dealt with After
Fifty Years, is the address of Bi-hop
Hendrix at the Half Century Celebra
tion of Southern Methodism. It is well
worth reading and valuable as to the
history of the separation. L Q C. La
mar receives high priise iu a sketch.
Our Atlanta pastor. Dr. John B. Rob
ini. gives a very readable article on
Tnree Revolutions of the 18th Century.
In addition, we have book notices and
editorial Among the quoted articles is
one by J. P Mahaffy. on “The Rela
tions of Early Christianity to Slavery
and Inferior Races.” This is of unusual
value
The Chautauquan. September.
Flood & Vincent. Meadville, Pa.,
Price 00.
We wish many of our readers could
find it in their way to take up the rea i
ings of the Chautauqua course. This
year is called French and Greek year, as
the readings deal with French and
Greek history. The Chautauquan pub
lishes some of these special readings
while the remaining portions are found
in books In addition to these Chau
tauqua readings the magazine is filled
with a fine variety of articles. One on
Helen Kellai- is specially interesting.
The City by the Golden Gate deals
with San Francisco. The New Con
gressional Library is described with il
lustrations
Blind Fortune-tellers in Heathen
China.
The mother of a blind boy in China
buys a picture of the goddesi Ah Nai,
ami pas'es it up on a wall over the
table, with some bowls on it in which
incense sticks are burned. When old
enough to learn, an old blind fortune
teller is hired to come and teach him
how to “reckon life,” as they say
how to deceive people, and make them
tbi. k he knows how long they will
live and what will happen to them; also
what will be lucky days for building or
repairing houses, and all sorts of such
silly things.
They usually dress neatly, and have
a man or boy io lead them about. Each
one tinkles a little bell which he carries
in his hand. There is an odd story
about these bells. Years ago, a good
emperor, seeing that these fortune-tell
ers were very many and were deceiving
the people, commanded that they
should all be killed or put in prison.
While the emperor's messengers were
huntingout these people, they found
an old woman w’ho was just as old as
the emperor’s mother. “Ah I ” they
said, “ here is the head of the genera
tion and the tail of the generation’’—
meal ing here are two women born the
same day, one the “King tom Mother,”
in the highest place, and the other a
poor fortune-teller, in the lowest place,
who was not thought fit to live.
When the emperor heard of it, he
was so much interested in this woman
who was born on his mother’s birth
day, that he gave her a brass bell and
said, “ H-re, you may take this and go
earn your living by telling fortunes.”
So every fortune-teller carries a bell.
When a Chinese mother has a boy
baby, she is very happy, but anxious
too, lest any evil spirit should carry
him off, so she wants this goddess, Ah-
Nai, to care for him. She prepares a
bowl in which to burn incense
to the goddess, but that is not enough.
She invites one of these blind fortune
tellers, gives him four or six cash
(about a farthing), and asks what will
bs the future of her boy. She then
That Pleasing |
ii Paralyzing Pie!
How good it looks! How
i’ good it isl And how it ]i
]i hurts. Why not look into the ■<,
question of Pill after Pie?
i[ Eat your pie and take Ayer’s 'i
,1 Pills after, and pie will please q
and not paralyze.
AYER’S
!■ Cathartic Pills ■:
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gives him some money and some rice
with which to worship the picture Ah-
Nai at bis own house.
She thinks the fortune-teller will be
more sure to get the favor of Ah-Na*,
and hires him to worship for her. So
every month she gives him five quarts
of rice and one hundred and eighty
ca-h. He buys a little incense to burn,
and puts a spoonful or two of rice in a
wee cup, which he sets before the god
dess; the rest he takes for himself.
The mother keeps on giving the rice
and money, and burning ineense-s’.icks
at home, till her boy is fifteen years
old; then, they say he “goes out of the
fl >wer garden,” that is, he is large
enough to go about, and need not be
looked afierso carefully. He will not
need Ah-Nai to look alter him, so his
mother breaks the bowl and stops
burning incense. She bakes a lot of
cakes, and sometimes prepares chick
ens, a pig's head, and other things to
offer to the idols, and makes a jacket
and trousers to give to the fortune
teller, who also gets a share of the off
erings and a last gift of cash.
If a blind ma i has a number of such
families to employ him he can make a
go rd living, and he is asked about a
great many other things, too, for which
men and women pay him money.
Often when a man wants to build a
new fire-place iu bis kitchen, he will
call one of these blind men and ask
him what will be a lucky time to be
gin it. The man will ask when the
birthdays of the family c >me, and some
other such things, pretend to make
some wise reckonings, and perhaps
say, “To-morrow at midnight begin to
build your fireplace, and you will have
good luck.”—Children’s Messenger.
Cut in Price i;
\ Formerly ( 1 / 2 Now
«1.00 j /2 ( 50 Cents
THEODOSIA J
* ERNEST
Clear Print, Substantially Bound
Contains 459 Pages J'
A Standard Story of Profound ]>
Interest
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