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8
| JOURNAL’S
| SATURDAY
| SERMON
The speaker opened by a description of
the life of the subject of the text, illus
trating the character of the man who was
“after God's own heart.** Touching
briefly upon some of the darker spots in
the character of the ■'sweet singer of Is
rael*’ he showed how different was the
divine—the Bible—method of biography
from the human. The apotheosis of the
hero was the human method. “De mor
tals nil nisi bonutm** But the Bible meth
od was the pure mirror of the natural
man. Every dark and bright spot "now
lurid as of the glow of bell and anon ra
diant with the light of heaven.** is por
ts* yed by holy writ with unsparing fidel
ity. He then in contrast with the few
but marked errors of King David singled
out some Illustrations of the noble char
acter of the man. The midnight scene
In the Grotto of Engedi. the tableau un
der the moonlight on the field of Hachi
ta h etc.
In the text especially he gives to the
world a revelation of one of his noblest
Meals, "Shall I offer unto the Lord of
that which doth cost me nothing?" is the
indignant query. A useful principle this
for the contemplation of our commercial
age. The commercial spirit is rampant
today, in the church of God. Salvation
is emphasised throughout holy writ as a
••free gift”—man cannot buy It—ls power
less to offer anything In exchange for the
royal gift And it is this spirit this at
titude-gift without return—in relation to
man's gifts to God. that is emphasized
practically by Klug David and demanded
by the law divine. But the spirit of bar
gain and sale which we discover at the
counters of our stores we recognise now
plainly and sadly in the church of God.
As an illustration, a man of ample in
come enters the church on pew rental
day. He has usually no specified and pre
determined plan of systematic Christian
giving. He selects the pew that suits
han best and pays the price. It is usually
one of the best pews in the house, or, if
as is occasionally done, the pews are auc
tioned off; he bids steadily to any nec
essary amount until he secures the object
of his desire.
It la a new church, we will say. A hand
some organ is to be obtained; a costly
choir soloist Is engaged. The man is a
devotee of music, and he would like to
hear the talent of the grand opera in sa
cred music on the Lord's day. He sub
scribes wittf eagerness and alacrity to
both objects As vestryman, he offers to
double his pew rental if the vestry will
•all the eloquent Dr. Blank, whose income
must come higher than the originally
stipulated parish Income And thus he
continues to the end of the chapter. At
the conclusion of the year he hears inci
dentally a discourse on Christian giving.
Ha gets out his check book and figures out
hia purchases in his church. I say **pur
c bases," for the principle of bargain and
sale has dominated them just as radically
and essentially as though the matter were
a counter transaction. He counts up the
figures and takes the total. With a smile
of satisfaction he meditates upon his sur
passing ' generosity to the church of
God!" But in no instance possibly has the
donation cost him a dollar. So far as the
general proposition goes. "I mu* worship
God and will contribute to the support of
my church." l»ts heart is right and his
action creditable. But when it comes to
the practical application of his principle
the whole question dons a commercial as
pect instead of that of a free will offer
ing to the service of God and the upbuild
ing of his kingdom. He gets the chief
seat in the synagogue. Ease and pride
are the inducements to pay the price. He
bears a prima donna, accompanied by a
grand organ, in the church service. His
usual box price at the grand opera once
a week would cost three times the price.
No man. be he saint or sinner, fails to en
joy **»• gifted discourse of the Rev. Dr.
Blank. His glowing imagery, his musical
and resonant voice, the riot of delightful
emotion roused and sustained by* his gift
ed eloquence, either tn pulpit or rostrum,
are worth far more than they cost; conse
quently he has received “quid pro quo,**
leaving the spiritual aspect of the case en
tirely out of the question, and his dona
tions have cost him nothing. Again the
too frequent delusion that the recipient
of a delightful church entertainment has
made the little offering Involved in the
church of God rather than himself is a
delusion of the same kind.
No. my friends, we must draw a sharp
and distinct line between those offerings
which are offered on the altar of our own
selfishness, pride, luxury, ease and
joymen t. the offerings which have cost
us nothing, and those offered on the al
tar of the service of God and the love of
our fellow man. When you begin to drive
bargains with the church of God. “I will
give so much if so-and-so is offered me.'*
Do not cajole yourself with the idea that
that gift is unqualifiedly accepted as such
by God. .
Notwithstanding the great sacrificial
cloud which hangs monumentally over the
world's great altar, in every age, clime
and religion of the present and the past,
many minds of those who call themselves
Christians even In this decade of the 20th
century have practically failed to realize
that, beyond abstinence from those gross
sins and indulgences which popular senti
ment and public laws as well as divine
proscription interdict, there is any definite
or systematic sacrifice required of man.
They, of course, know that there is an
altar In the church of God. and that there
•re noble and unselfish men and women
who are constantly offering there. But
their personal obligation—what the Lord
God—the necessities of the world—require
WANTED—AGENTS.
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671 Masotti* Temple. Chk»«o, lIL
{ MAN'S GIFT TO GOD. |
TEXT—“And David said, ‘Nay, I will surely buy It.’ .. ‘Neither g
will I offer unto the Lord of that which doth cost me nothing.’
11. Sam. 2:24. * g
BY REV. W. M. WALTON, g
Archdeacon of Atlanta. •*•
■ll Hi
■h JKss
*
REV. W. M. WALTON.
of them, they do not appear to have deter
mined. If you quote to them the idea of
the giving of one-tenth, as commanded by
the Jewish law. they would think such a
law a great hardship; and if you consider
the way in which such people give, you
are not surprised at their estimate of the
Jewish law. They frequently affirm that
their receipts are so uncertain that they
can make no definite pledge, will give
what they can. etc. Compared with the
Jews, the sum they place on the altar of
God is almost nothing. To such people I
recommend a meditation upon a quota
tion from Ruskin. He said, in effect, I
haven't the book before me: “Most peo
ple deceive themselves. Especially is this
true of the givers, or non-givers. of the
world. People like to give, but they rather
think they do not like It. They think
they would rather keep their money In
their pockets." Indeed, the world thinks
"It knows better” when Christ said: "It
is more blessed to give than to receive!”
In defence of this method (no system or
principle at all in Christian giving) such
people plead that the Jewish law has been
abrogated." Most true. We are not now
living under the Jewish law, but the grand
general principles of that law are as un
changing as the very being of God. They
were born when the eye of the race of
man was lit with the light of its first
morning and are a part of the eternal
fitness which regulates the weal of man.
Suppose we acknowledge that a genuine
Christian is not compelled to adhere to
the Jewish law of giving, 1. •., one part
in ten. Yet when we examine the nature
of our giving how absurdly small (in com
parison) does our offering appear Take
the case of a man who gives a half dol
lar a week out of an Income of 125. In
stead of one part tn ten. he gives only one
part tn SO. It would be absurd to say that
a proportion so small would systematical
ly be attended by any measurable cost in
sacrifice. If. however, carelessness (or
other reasons) delay tbe offering until at
the end of a year It amounts to $25, it
must then be all paid out of one week’s
income, and It does cost—aye It costs so
much that the obligation of this sacred
sum. the pledged offering, is often repu
diated on the basis that necessity required
the man should take for his use that
which belongs to God. The service of God
is thus a loser (in aggregate) to a large
amount, and the sou! of the man has lost
something which he will miss to all eter
nity.
My brothers, why will we not cease this
perpetual battle with our < nobler and
higher selves? God's wisdom indicates
three grand principles In life: First, there
should be an offering on the altar of God.
Second, that offering should be systemat
ic and predetermined. Third, it should
represent a distinct sacrificial cost. Adopt
the standards of life given by God and
obtain, at lait, in this the only way,
the blessings of His peace. Phillips
Brooks has well said: The great question,
after all is this: Shall we judge man
(and human principles) by God. or Gou
by man? Does light and understanding
flow upward or downward? If we judge
man by God at once we have true and
discrlnmlnating thoughts of human life.
We have absolute standards. We have
a test of the worth of all we see or do.
But if we judge God by man we only
have over again what the world has been
so full of—the persuasions of self-inter
ests, the disbelief in absolute righteous
ness, the Changing standards of the
changing times. Men have gone into the
sanctuary of their own selfishness, the
sanctuary of themselves, and straight
way they have seemed to see an end of
God."
Again this offering to God should be
general and unconditional. Among the
special duties of my office are the build
ing of churches and financial organiza
tion in new localities. I frequently, there
fore, encounter persons who are practi
cally nothing to the service of God—noth
ing either of labor or means. I interro
gate such people as follows: *
Do you not feel called upon to labor
for Christ V
"My business prevents." is the reply. *T
must labor continuously for my daily
bread.”
“But what do you give to sustain oth
ers who are unselfishly giving themselves
to this noble cause?"
Answer—" Asa rule, very little, if any
thing. at present.”
And then each Individual has a separate
and often dissimilar excuse. "I have no
local church;" “I have no minister over
me and have not been applied to." I an
swer, “Your obligation to give is uncon
ditionaL If you lived alone on an island of
the sea. like Alex Selkirk of old. that
should not sever your relationship with
God and your fellowman. You will not
affirm that you do not know away in
which your offering could reach the
church of God.
There are thousands of laborers in your
own household of faith, laboring in this
and foreign lands, for whom the church
is crying for bread. And yet you, my
friend, because you have no local minis
ter or church to stimulate you and min
ister to you. ignore your privilege and du
ty—your systematic giving—and allow the
divine command and your church’s great
need to pass unheeded by.
The nearer you come to detaching such
gifts from every selfish consideration,
either material or spiritual, the nearer
you approximate the grand ideal of the
Christian life.
There are others who decline to give
because they do “not like their minister,”
or the “congregation is uncongenial,"
etc.
To be 'ogical, such people must next
contend that this offering is made to the
minister or to the congregation. No, my
friends, regardless of all conditions,
church building, local minister, good min
ister, congenial congregation, etc., the call
of Calvary is for a direct gift to God and
your fellowman. The question is not how
much you owe to man or any set of men,
but how much owest thou to thy Lord?
"HOW MUCH OWEBT THOU TO THY
LORD?"
A merchant who was a God-fearing man
was very successful in business, but his
soul did not seem to prosper accordingly;
his offerings to the Lord he did not feel
disposed to increase. One evening he had
a remarkable dream. A visitor entered the
room and. quietly looking round at tha
many elegancies and luxuries by which
THE SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL, ATLANTA. GEORGIA, MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1901.
he was surrounded, without any comment,
presented him with receipts for his sub
scription to various societies and urged
their claim upon his enlarged sympathy.
The merchant replied with various ex
cuses. and at last grew impatient at the
continued appeals. The stranger rose, and
fixing his eyes upon his companion, said,
in a voice that thrilled to his soul: "One
year ago tonight you thought your daugh
ter lay dying: you could not rest for ago
ny. Upon who did you call that night?”
The merchant started and looked up; there
seemed a change, had passed over the
whole form of his visitor, whose eyes
were fixed upon him with a calm penetrat
ing look as he continued: “Five years ago
when you lay at the brink of the grave
and thought if you died then you would
leave your family unprovided for. Do you
remember how you prayed then? Who
saved you then?” Pausing a moment he
went on in a still more impressive tone:
“Do you remember 15 years since, that
time when you felt yourself so lost, so
helpless—when you spent day and night
in prayer; when you thought you would
give the world for one hour’s assurance
that your sins were forgiven? Who lis
tened to you thfen?”
“It was my God and Savior,” said the
merchant with a sudden burst of remorse
ful feeling. "Oh, yes, it was He.”
“And has He ever complained of being
called upon too often?” asked the strang
er in a voice full of reproachful sweetness.
“Say, are you willing to begin this night
and ask'no more of Him if He from this
time asks no more of you?”
“Oh! never, never,” said the merchant,
throwing himself at his feet. The figure
vanished and ha awoke; his soul stirred
within him. “Oh! God and Savior, what
have I been doing? Take all—take every
thing! What is all that I have to what
Thou hast done for me?”
How much owest thou to thy Lord?
Let us examine the proportion which our
offering divine bears to the sum we spend
on our selfish needs. Will this, think you,
be a true answer to the question?
Again, what should our principle mean
14 the family life? A woman not very long
ago remarked that she would not perform
a certain duty because she “did not feel
like it." A Christian woman thus giving
an answer that would have been consider
ed weak and trivial by a woman of the
world. Presumably this woman’s home
as well as her church education had been
defective. The first lesson which should
be taught the young is that the cost of
every act of life creates its value. We
have no right to ask of the world or God
a reward or plaudit for any deed, word or
thought which has cost us nothing. All
of life’s noblest principles rest eternally
upon this truth—the amenities of friend
ship; the very happiness of the home life.
'The gateway of heaven” originate from
this source. Nay, I will say more: Life’s
only pure, substantial and lasting happi
ness depends upon It. If you do not find
your happiness in your home life, you will
find It nowhere else on earth. If your
children could be taught not only from
our pulpits and our lips, but from our
practical example In the home life, that
the cost of an act alone creates its value
In the sight of God ana man, the wrecked
homes which so plentifully distinguish our
day and generation would be fewer in
number. During the period of our love
making the co* of mutual attention is
gladly paid, because there is a distinct
prize to be won. But too often, the honey
moon over, these little attentions which
constitute the heart’s sweetest and most
eloquent language begin, one by one, to be
ignored. If some warning voice whispera
to a husband who is tnus lapsing he re
plies that his “business efforts, etc., are
so great that this home effort ‘costs him
too much.’." If the whisper comes to a
wife who is thus lapsing she replies: "My
domestic and social duties are so burden
some, my health is so delicate, that I am
not equal to the effort."
Sometimes these neglects are deliberate
and intentional—the outward manifesta
tions of a love that is dying or dead. To
such cases we will not refer. But others
are the offspring of a selfish carelessness.
To such we will say: The day will possibly
come when you will sadly conclude that
the lost love, joy, light of your home
life, the sweet lesson to the opening
minds and hearts of your children, was
worth far more than these love tokens
cost! Moreover, the home is one of the
places for character building and each lit
tle effort—slight In cost, it may be—is but
an element in the construction of the
noblest phase of the character of man.
When the cares of life are many, \
And its burdens heavy grow
For the ones who work beside you,
If you love them, tell them so.
What you count of little value
Has an almost magic power,
And beneath their cheering sunshine
Hearts will blossom like a flower.
THE WORSHIP OF GOD.
Let us touch upon this principal in its
application to “the worship of God.”
We sometimes see great crowds thronging
to a religious meeting. Let us examine
the prevailing motives whlcQi draw these
people. A noted speaker, an advertised
singer, often the Intoxication of the wave
of emotion which characterizes some
popular assemblies—often the magnetic
power of a great public movement which
sweeps the Individual along with the cur
rent of the stream. Not too often as it
should be a heartfelt longing for tbe
pearl of great price. Divest this great
meeting of its peculiar character, cut it
up into small quiet assemblies gathered
together for the purpose of performing
one of the life’s supreme duties—the wor
ship of Almighty God—and how many of
them would be conspicuously absent? Do
not forget that the worship of God is not
a matter of attraction or reward, it Is a
duty. The man in the pulpit, the priest
at the altar, the music of ths choir, in
toxication of emotion should not be our
chief thought. As you seek and receive
a reward for this worship, it is “an of
fering which costs you nothing.”
And finally, in this, as well as all of the
affairs of life, carefully examine life's
motives and see that they are
pure. The sermon on the mount
has taught us the beautiful lesson,
"blessed are the pure in heart for they
shall see God.” Few people realize the
scope of the meaning of that phrase. The
pure in heart.” The average individual
thinks it means a heart free from lust
or sensualism. The true meaning is
those whose motives in life are pure. It
is only as our ambition turns in this direc
tion that we can realize the high ideal of
the “sweet singer of Israel.” It is well
said. "We must not look for stars In the
mud. We must climb if we would see
the dawning of the spiritual sunlight.”
Some day we will stand at the "gates
ajar” and obtain for the first time a rev
elation of what eye hath not seen nor
ear heard, neither hath it entered into
the heart of man.
As the revelation of eternity burst upon
us how would we feel, think you. if we
could realize that it hath "sost us noth
ing.”
Let us then gladly pay What ft costs
to follow Christ—really follow him, never
forsaking Him thought the veil of the
temple be rent and darkness cover the
face of the earth.” As he triumphed over
death, so may we gain victories which
the angels will record, and the time will
come at last when we will look with pity
upon the past in Which (at one time), we
thought that the blessedness and glory
of our Immortal manhood was not worth
what it cost in earths
The blood will be poor so long as the stomach
shirks its duty. A half wine-glass of DR.
SIEGERT'S Angostura, Bittern before meals
cures dyspepsia,
FAMOUS NAVAL TRIALS.
Courts In Which Figured Various Nau
tical Celebrities.
The sessions of the • Schley-Sampson
court of inquiry have revived all manner
of anecdotes regarding the famous naval
courts of the past, says a Washington
correspondent of the Philadelphia Press.
One of the favori.e examples is that of
Oliver Hazzard Perry, the hero of Lake
Erie. He had controversies with Captain
Jesse B. Elliott, one of his subordinate
commanders at Lake Erie, and with Cap
tain John Heath, of the marine corps.
The latter he forced before a courtmar
tlal after knocking the young man down
in hi» cabin.
In 1817 a court of inquiry was held tn
Washington to examine the charges of an
ensign against Captain Jacob Jones, the
grim first officer of the Philadelphia when
that ship made her heroic fight In Tripoli.
This court is still a matter of merriment
to navy men who are fond of looking over
the records of the past. The ensign charg
ed that Captain Jones had struck him,
and that when he remonstrated > 11 the
satisfaction he received was that if he
got in the captain’s way again he would
be "heaved overboard.” Captain Jones
explained in his reply that he pleaded
guilty to being overhasty, but that he
did not really intend to drown the youth.
He hinted, however, that it was for the
good of the service to give the young
sters such talk occasionally—that it kept
them in their places. Captain Jones was
4<>und guilty and sentenced to a private
reprimand. Tradition says that this rep
rimand was administered when the pres
ident nf the court invited the brave old
sailor out to drink the health of all con
cerned in the inquiry.
Lieutenant Junius Boyle’s case is one
of the most amusing in navy records. He
was of Celtic extraction, and gloried in
the honor. He was accused of overgen
erostty In the matter of potations. It was
proved that he. not only frequently in
dulged in the cup that cheers, but he In
sisted in giving numerous warm drinks
to his c ew, to the great demoralization
of the "Jackies.”
In 1821 Commodore Isaac Hull, the com-
Render of the Constltutloii In the war of
1812, was before a court of inquiry which
sat at Charlestown, Mass., navy yard.
He was accused of using the funds and
materials of the government for bis pri
vate use, but he proved every charge
false, and was acquitted with the highest
praise of his stewardship.
A venerable woman living here, Mrs.
Beverly Kennon, was vitally interested la
a court of Inquiry held in 1824, when her
husband was before the navy authorities
for a public controversy held with Captain
David Porter, the second sailor in the il
lustrious Porter line. This trial created
wide attention.
Note premium list in this Issue,
make your selection and subscribe at
once.
NAVIES OF THE WORLD.
English and American Ships Versus
Russian, French and Spanish.
In the October number of Pearson’s
Magazine appearz a timely article entitled
"Anglo-Saxons—Soverelgnz of the World,”
which is intended to show the general
strength of the proposed Anglo-Saxon al
liance as compared with the strength of
the most powerful alliance that could be
formed against it. The last comparison
we shall make, says the author of this
article, is, perhaps, the most important.
It is between the military forces—on land
and on sea—of the Anglo-Saxons, those of
Russia, their greatest rival, and those of
Russia, France and Spain together, the
assumption being that this is the greatest
possible combination that could be formed
against the Anglo-Saxon empire.
Comparing first' the land forces of the
three empires—the Ugures given are to be
taken as the utmost that each could raise
in case of extreme need—the Anglo-Saxons
In spite of the fact that their standing
army, compared with the armaments of
some of their rivals, is not large, could
put in the field 67,714,000 men; the Russians
19,428,000, and France and Spain just over
12,000,000 between them, bringing the total
for the allied empire to 31,516,000 men.
No comparison that could be made of
the number of men in the navies of the
three empires or of the number of war
ships belonging to each, would do justice
to all three empires. As far as the actual
numbers of men are concerned, the ad
vantage is on the side of the Anglo-
Saxons; but, on the other hand, the num
ber of ships in the navy of the Anglo-
Saxon empire would be less than the num
ber in the Russian-French-Spanish em
pire.
It must, however, be remembered that
the quality of the ships in the navy of the
Rueslan-b rench-Spanish empire is infer
ior to that of the ships of the Anglo-
Saxon navy. The impossibility of a sat
isfactory comparison of the power of the
rival navies by the difference in the num
ber of their ships is, therefore, obvious.
The method which we shall now employ
to illustrate the respective Importance of
the navies of the three empires has at
least this recommendation, that it affords
justice to both sides.
It rests on the difference in the number
of guns carried by the navies of the three
empires, and may be considered as a very
fair criterion of their respective powers.
The Anglo-Saxon battery contains 13,319
guns; and, considering that these are bet
ter manned than those of Russia, France
and Spain, they would probably have lit
tle trouble in overcoming such opposition
as might be offered them. This is the
more certain in that the guns of Russia
only number 5,013, and those of Russia,
France and Spain together, only 10,993.
With these figures before us, there is
little reason to doubt that the con
summation of an alliance between the
United States and Great Britain would
bring into being a power greater than any
that the world has seen in modern or in
ancient times.
Find Bostrom’s Improved Farm Level
advertisement, and see what you get free.
McKinley and McDuff.
A Scotch genealogist announces that he has
traced the descent of the late President Mc-
Kinley back to Macduff, thane of Fife, who
slew Macbeth. The line, traced through the
Macintoshes and tbe Farquharsons of Broemar
to one Finlay Farquharaon. called Finley Mor,
on account of his great size and strength.
Finlay Mor was killed at the battle of Pinkie
while bearing the royal standard in 1547. His
four sons took the name Mac Finlay or Mac
. lonnly, which in English is MacKinlay. The
Macßlnlays settled at Annie in Perthshire, and
about the end of the seventeenth century a
MacKlnley of Annie, known as “James, the
trooper.” went to Ireland, where the spelling
of his name was ehanged to McKinley. The de
scendants of "the trooper” came to this coun
try and the late president's descent in that
line is traced in hia biography written by
Robert P. Porter.
THE WORLD’S WORK.
Tbe World’s Work is one of the most in
teresting and instructive of all the maga
zines published. It is issued once a month
and is a book in itself. We will send The
World’s Work for three months, together
with the Semi-Weekly Journal for one
year, for the sum of $1.25. This is an ex
cellent opportunity to procure one of the
best of the magazines at an introductory
price.
Highest of Waterfalls.
< Land of Sunshine.
The highest waterfall in the world,
geography tells us, is the Cerosola cas
cade, in the Alps, having a fall of 2,400
feet; that of Arvey, in Savoy, is 1,100 feet,
and the falls of Yosemite valley range
from 700 to 1,000 feet. But higher yet is
the waterfall in the San Cuayatan can
on, in the state of Durango, Mexico. It
was discovered by some prospectors, ten
years ago, in the great barranca dis
trict which is called the Tierras Descon
ocidas. While searching for the famous
lost mine. Naranjal, a great roar of wa
ter was heard. With great difficulty the
party pushed on, and up and down the
mighty chasms until they beheld su
perb fall that is at least 3,000 feet uigh.
Ducktown definite is a straggling town
on the A., K. & N. railroad, absolutely
unattractive and uninviting. Ducktown in
definite is a tract of land about ten miles
square, and includes the mining towns
and works operated by the Ducktown
Sulphur, Copper and Iron Company and
the Tennessee Copper Company.
The first view of Ducktown is startling
nothing but bare hills—not a tree or other
sign of vegetable life for miles around.
At Mary Mines there are two shafts
opened, a new one and an old one, and
two hoisting engines.
The old shaft is sunK to three levels, or
floors, and it is on the 20-fathom bent that
one gets the best idea of a copper miner’s
life underground.
The building covering the shaft con
tains the engine for running the lift and
near it is the timekeeper's office and sup
ply house.
Before stepping on the cage, as the men
call the elevator, it is wise to put on a
mackintosh and pull the cap, to which is
attached the little mining lamp, well over
your head. The signal is given and the
lift drops swiftly down, the air grows
cooler each second and 20-fathom level is
reached and utter darkness.
About the mouth of the shaft, for 15
feet, is a flooring of iron slabs and from
this the drifts lead, north, south and west.
Until the eyes get accustomed to the
blackness nothing can be seen but the
lamps of the miners/ moving to and fro.
Gradually jour sight comes to you and
the wonders grow.
The drifts are narrow roadways leading
to the chambers and stopes. Along the
drifts are laid the tracks for the tram cars
which convey the ore to the shaft. In
some places of the drifts the ceilings are
over 70 feet high, in others not six. Here
heavy timbers form the roofing and there
the earth itself.
After what seems a long walk in the
darkness, which makes walking anything
but a safe pleasure, a chamber is reached
from which comes the thud, thud of a
drill at work. The machine is run by
compressed air and operated by two men,
the machinist who gets >1.60 per day, and
a ohucker, his helper, who receives 15
cents less. It is these men who do the
blasting. After the hole Is drilled a fuse is
fitted with a silver fulminate cap of 60
pounds pressure and 30 per cent nitro
glycerine.
The cap is dropped in the excavation,
the fuse lighted and the men, with a
warning shout to others, retire to a safe
distance and wait in strained expectancy
for the report. It comes, a deafening
roar, rolling up and down the drifts and
reverbrating from slope to slope.
Then the men gather to see the result.
The aspect of the chamber is changed;
huge pieces of copper weighing 300 tons,
Republic of Columbia Home of Revolution,
After having spent nearly three years
in the republic of Colombia, South Ameri
ca, a country that reached the zenith of
its civilization and then commenced Its
backward march toward barbarism long
before Christopher Columbus sailed from
Spain on his first voyage of discovery,
Charles L. Wright has returned to Omaha
to remain several weeks, says Sunday’s
Omaha World-Herald.
Having traveled extensively .through
Colombia and having been a close observ
er, Mr. Wright has a great fund of infor
mation relative to that far-away republic
that delights in indulging in a revolution
every few weeks and? frequently oftener.
If the Inhabitants deem an uprising neces
sary to show their disapproval of the
methods of the party in power.
That Colombia had a civilization that
antedated the settlement of the United
States, and was as early as that of Peru,
goes without saying. Speaking of this
to The World-Herald, Mr. Wright said:
“Back in the interior there are great
temples of stone, built in the most sub
stantial manner. In them are images that
were worshipped by the inhabitants. Many
of them are of solid gold, but frequently
you find them of stone, carved In the moat
exquisite manner. In the graves are valu
able gold ornaments, set with precious
stones, showing that the early Inhabitants
were skilled in the arts. In many places
about these temples are the ruin? of once
populous cities, the buildings of which
were of stone and adobe. When these
people lived no one seems to know.
“However, the republic of Colombia of
today is making rapid strides, and when
the time comes that rebellions are a thing
of the past, it will be a great nation. Now
it is a great country, sparsely populated
and filled with great mineral and agricul
tural wealth waiting to be developed.
ELECTIONS ARE A FARCE.
“The government is a republic in name,
but the elections are a farce. The method
of voting is similar to that in the United
States, but I have always labored under
the opinion that the votes of those who
are not in accord with the government
are never counted. At least, the outside
faction never wins at me polls. Beaten
at the polls, they organize a revolution
and then the stuff is off and war is the
order of things. This may continue for a
day, or it may last for years. Sometimes
the government is overthrown and some
times the rebels are defeated.
“The inhabitants of Colombia are a mix
ture of Spaniards and Indians, and on the
whole a pretty good class of people. They
are reasonably industrious and many of
them are wealthy. Foreigners are abso
lutely safe there, and their property rights
are respected. If you buy a piece of prop
erty in the country or In one of the cities,
your title is as secure as here in Nebras
ka, no matter how often the government
may be overturned, the property of a for
eigner is safe, but the property of the con
quered native goes to the conqueror. It is
claimed there that the only way by which
the natives can secure their rights is by
starting a revolution now and then.
“Going into war, the armies of both
sides seem to be well armed with modern
implements of warfare. These implements
are secured from the United States, Eng
land and Germany. The party in power
brings the arms in openly, but the other
faction has to smuggle the guns and mu
nitions in from some ship that has land
ed in some out of the way place. Once in,
they are hid until needed. Then they are
dug up, an army organized and equipped
and then things are ready for the fray.
“If you are working a plantation or a
mine, a party of soldiers will come along,
press your native employes into the ser
vice and you are left alone. If by chance
they happen to get some of your mules
or horses, as soon as the mistake is dis
covered they are sent back with an apol
ogy, but your men don’t come back until
the war is over.”
At the present time Mr. Wright is In
the mining business in the interior, near
Medellia, a city of 60,000, the supplies for
which have to be packed on mules over
the mountains. The town is 600 miles from
Savanilla, a seaport on the Caribbean
sea.
“During the entire year the range in
temperature does not exceed 20 degrees.
It is pleasant most of the year. Os course,
there are the rainy seasons. It rains three
months at a stretch, and then there are
three months of dry weather. but no
sweltering heat nor frigid cold. Back of
the mountain range there is a beautiful
prairie, hundreds of miles in extent, that
is unoccupied, except by the herders, who
graze millions of head of cattle. The soil
of this prairie is of wonderful richness,
the black loam extending down from ten
to twenty feet. Around the foothills
where the natives do a little farming,
wheat yields 30 and bushels to the acre,
corn 80 to 100, and oats from 60 to 80. You
see the opportunities that are awaiting
people who will go in and till the soil.
“Os course at this time the markets are
poor, as they are hard to reach, but when
The South's Copper Fields.
some more, some less, have been thrown
in all directions and the chamber is by
many feet deeper and wider.
Now comes the work of the blockers,
who take out the ore and earn $1.50, and
the muckers, who hammer it up at $1.25.
Next the trammers load the ears, which
hald a ton, and push them out to the
shaft and turn them over to tbe landers,
whose name explains their work. They
are paid $1.60 a day.
There are contract trammers who are
paid 9 cents a car and company tram
mers who make by the day $1.25. The
company trammers have the best of it,
as one man can run from 12 to 30 cars in
the 10 hours constituting the day’s work.
A UNIQUE PUMP.
In the 45 fathom level the water had
become troublesome, and one of the men
put in a pump which is a puzzle to the
miners and a question to the engineers.
Beginning at the surface of the 20 fathom
level is a 3 1-2 inch pipe extending down
50 feet. By the side of it is a 1 inch air
pipe, which turns at the bottom and runs
up 3 feet in the larger pipe and forces the
water to the 20 fathom level. In the 45
fathom level the pipes are 25 feet under
water.
This was all lucidly explained by Mr.
Epperson, shift foreman, and Mr. Jacobs,
timekeeper, but not so clearly understood
by the listener.
Mr. Epperson has been mining for eight
years and in all that time has only had
one week of daylight.
But after all underground work has
its compensations. It is cool in summer
and warm in winter. The element of
danger which is necessarily a part of the
life tends to make the men more kindly
in their feelings toward each other than
they might otherwise be. Then, too. each
man tries to get as much light out of the
darkness as possible and there are some
good singers and story tellers even under
ground.
Hazing is' strictly forbidden, but there
is many a practical joke played, though
it is not always a new man caught.
Withal, it cannot be denied that one
breathes freer in the open air and wel
comes the light of day, even if there is
not a tree or flower to be seen.
Three miles from Mary Mines is Hiawas
see, a typical mining town, and decidedly
the most desirable spot in Ducktown.
The houses are better built and there are
more of them. On the main street are
stores, residences, a white tent flaunting
the sign, “Photographs taken while you
wait.” Farther up the street a bank, and
opposite it a shingle notifies the public
that within will be found *n attorney at
It is here that the Tennessee Copper
company has its main store. Mr. Bell,
manager of the commissary department,
speaking of the suit lately brought against
railroads penetrate the interior, the ag
ricultural wealth of the country will be
almost beyond calculation. In addition to
grain, the country produces wonderful
crop* of coffee, sugar cane and fruits of
all kinds.
“The country does not raise sufficient
grain to feed inhabitants. Most of the
flour comes from the United States and
at this time the mills of Minneapolis
seem to have the bulk of the trade.
“As strange as it may seem, the United
States has not reached out for the trade
of Colombia. Nearly all of the store* in
the cities and town* carry goods manu
factured in England and Germany. Most
of the dry goods come from Manchester,
and in this connection let me say, that
there is one merchant in Medellia who
has $350,000 on deposit in the banks of this
English town. Many of the traveling
salesmen of England and Germany re
side in the cities of Colombia and drum
the trade as industriously as do the Om
aha traveling men the Nebraska towns.
They all speak Spanish, the language of
the country. I know of one English sales
man who sold $300,000 of goods in six
months, and I presume there are 50 who
did as much business in the same length
of time.
"The trade of the country is enormous
when you take into consideration that
there are scores of cities of 50,000 and
more. Take Medellia. There are 100 towns
that are tributary to it and depend upon
it for supplies. These towns range from
20.000 inhabitants down to small villages
and are all out in the interior of the re
public. Down along the Pacific coast
and along the Caribbean sea. large towns,
are more numerous, so It can readily be
seen that the trade is well worth work
ing up for the future, as well as for the
Droscnt. «
NEED THE PANAMA CANAL.
“One thing that the South American
A Tender Incident in Mrs. Slatons Life.
It is especially appropriate in this wo
man’s department to write of a woman
whose nature and life illustrated the
sweetest and best qualities of woman
hood. Such a woman was Mrs. L) illlam
F. Slaton.
A predominant characteristic of Mrs.
Slaton was her devotion to her
home, her husband, her children, her
grandchildren, her kindred, her friends.
As a mother, she was most loving and
loyal, and that love was ever an inspira
tion to those dear ones about her. She
was the center of the family circle. At
the family gatherings she was the chief
object of tender attention.
A pretty incident in connection with
one of those reunions is told during these
last sad days.
It was last Christmas when the large
family circle—parents and children and
grandchildren gathered at Major and
Mrs. Slaton’s for the customary Christ
mas feast.
Frequently, on these occasions there
was a bright program—appropriate mot
toes in the place-cards, or bright ques
tions and answers of a liter-
ary flavor. This last Christmas,
however, the feature of the feast
was found in the verses which Mrs.
Slaton read. It was a little surprise
which she had kept closely even from the
daughters of the home-circle to whom
she usually told everything. After all
were seated at the long and brilliant ta
ble, she rose In her place, her slight fig
ure trembling somewhat with eagerness,
her sweet face moved with even unwon
ted tenderness. ‘
"I have something I wish to read, she
said, smiling, and then softly and clearly
she read these verses by Emily Brown
Powell:
O, mother of babies strong and fair,
Tell to one who has none
Which of your dainty darlings there—
Golden or auburn or chestnut hair—
To you is the loveliest one!
■Ask the mother bird on her nest ,
Up in the rocking tree
Which of her birdlings to her looks best—
Which of the nestlings under her breast
She loves most tenderly.
Mother love answers readily—
Mother love fond and true,
A miracle each are my birds to me.
No matter what color their feathers may
be,
Nor how they may look to you!
Those sweet verses are now forever en
shrined in the hearts of those children.
That they find an echo in the souls of all
mothers there can be no doubt. ,
Who Should Come South?
Southern Field.
A great many people have heard cotton and
the south associated so often they have come
ta baUeva that there U no other crop bat
tbe company, said:
“There were forty or fifty farmers from
Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina
who claimed that their property was in
jured. Some of the claims amounted to
more than twice the value of the damaged
farm. Some, no doubt, were perfectly
true, but the mines have brought more
money into this part of the country in
one year than all the farms in it would
have done in twelve years. An injunction
was filed to compel the mines to shut
down. However, the injunction was
thrown out of court in August and the
work still goes on.
"It is true that the sulphur smoke kills
all the vegetation, but there is more mon
ey underground than on the surface at -
DGcktown, and the people seem contented
and healthy.
“At Isabella the men are digging iron
from the face of the hills. One shaft is
sunk for copper and here, too. are ths
furnaces and smelters of the Ducktown. •
Sulphur. Copper and Iron company.
Near McKay s are the roast sheds and
smelting works owned by the Tennessee
Copper company. There are 90 roast sheds,
and it is here that the sulphur is burned
from the ore, causing the smoke to settle
on the hills and valleys in such heavy
clouds that on a still day it is hard for
even a Ducktown miner to find his way.
After the ore is roasted it is put in cars
and sent to the furnaces, from which it
comes a molten stream into huge kettles,
r rom the kettles it is poured into convert
ers, where the slag or refuse is skimmed
off, leaving the ore, which is 90 per cent
pure copper. ■£?
These works are run entirely by-etafv/’""
tricity, and the power hjjust Is a model
of its kind, fitted wttfr converters, blow
ers and a buckeye dynamo.
To visit Ducktown, to see from the out
side the life of the people and their man
ner of earning a livelihood, is interesting
and even holds a marvelous fascination,
but to live at Ducktown in sight of the
naked, road-scarred hills, blotted over
with squalid, grimy houses; to be always
out of sound of a bird’s voice; to be wrap
ped in a smoke as dense as London's
densest fog, or else to have the sun’s un
shaded rays show pitilessly the treeless
waste, is to live without many things
that make the world bright and beautiful.
MABEL DRAKE.
For $1.40 we will send The Semi-
Weekly one year and the Five Vaseline
Toilet Articles and any one of the
premium papers offered with The
Semi-Weekly at SI.OO. This is the
greatest offer ever made and you
should take advantage of it without
delay.
republics need to place them in a posi
tion whereby their trade can be con
trolled by the United States is the com
pletion of the Panama canal. The Nica
raguan canal, of course, would help
some, but not so much as the one project
ed and partially built across the Isthmus.
“With the building of the Panama ca
nal the Americans would rush Into the '
country. They would invest their money
and wonderful changes would be apparent
in a short time. The government of Co
lombia is anxious to get In touch with
the United States. The people like the
Americans and are anxious to have them
settle among them.
“Many of the mines owned by the na
tives are for sale, but If a man does not
want to buy, he can go out and prospect
and locate something equally as good.
It is not like many other mining coun
tries where they say that gold is where
you find it. There gold is nearly every
where in the mountains and in paying
quantities. Even with the crude machin
ery used by the natives, hundreds of them
are getting rich.
"Os course a poor man has no business
going to Colombia expecting to work for
some other person tn the mines. An
American cannot compete with the na
tives.
“In the big gold mine to which I have
referred, there are 200 women employed
in wheeling ore. They are paid 5 cents
per day in gold. The men in the mines
work for 20 cents per day and the common
laborer for from 8 to 12 cents. Out of
this they all board themselves, so you
see that a laborer can never expect to
get rich.’’
C7^L,fl$ a X*C93E<Xjak..
Kind You Hm Always
Kgsstue XTr , ,
cotton raised in the southern states. It Is
true that cotton ia the great crop of the south,
and that it brings to that section an immense
amount of money—last season's crop axsre- 1
gating about 6600,000,000—but it is by no means
the only crop. The south is adapted to ••
wider of crops than any other section,
including al! that can be raised in the north,
and many other crops not adapted to such
short seasons. In another article we have
shown that truck farming finds its moat favor
able conditions, and reaches its highest suc
cess in the southern states. The fruits of
the south, especially apples and peaches, are
rarely equaled and never excelled by any
section. The blue grass regions of the south
produce the finest horses and cattle raised in
this country. The mild winters enable the
sheep men to place their spring lambs on the
city markets when prices are highest, at
small expense as compared with other sections
Splendid crops of corn, wheat, oats, rye and
other cereals may be grown. Some localities
produce the best tobacco raised; others are
adapted to peanuts; in others fine crops of
rice are raised; and again in others CTops of
sugar cane. There are grape districts in the
south equal to any in the world. The mild cn
mate and general precipitation, with the
growing seasons enable two or more crops or
a variety of products to be raised on the
ground, if the farmer desires to so Intensify
his operations, but as • rule farming
tions at present are carried on over targe
areas Lands are low in price and should be
Investigated to be appreciated.
4 FULL $0.15
QUARTS W—
EXPRESS PREPAID.
fife
The celebrated Mountain Dal!
OTpjffi Whiskey la distilled upon tha
old-fashioned plan, over alow
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I rare quality. Our entire prod-
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H manipulated old whiskey of
guaranteed purity.
JfetfiEjM Your Monev
Back If
Not Pleased.
We will send by express,
rfcujKjSjßjMßtE prepaid, four full quarts
ot S-yaar-old rye, for
Cls ’ * nd ,f are 001
IS r*rf every way satisfied.
jfergffigSr-rjijSE return at our expense,
an<l your t 110 "*?' will be
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I shipped tn plain eases.
' Address all orders to
The Mountain Dell Co.,
Distillers. Dept. A, Atlanta, Ga-
1