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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. D PrsMtians Free Address Scott Remedy Ct*.. Ipowtsville. Kr When writing please mention TELEGRAPHY taught thoroughly sod quickly; peel t toes se cured Catalog free. Oeergta Te'erraph *cheei. Senoia. Gi S 3 a Day Sure gSSB WhrWkS. «ek «a4 Wark yac trw, ye-i ww* ia CM Wkara yua »w Saa4 rw aMna w» Will •sshSe*e tassoMS tally, wiabw —a t nnUn • dew prat* •rtstwaaaryday's aart.kka ittaty tww WkSaaaa. MUI MaIeFaCTtBUS Saxesz. Srtnit, M DLOOD POISON Either primary. w - - I*rr or tertiary .-yr hills tatLr positively and forrrrr rnrrd. without tha _ _ . umot Marrwry or lodide of Fotaah. by tbe woo- SilfUl Herbaha Cniapoaart. a few weeks* see of wt.i. h ■stassaHee*. healthy being, after cosapMe fallare with the Het Smtsge ead other Beat meat. Fun information. nEKKKMMnKKffS [ ’*■£ 100-PIGE BOOK FREE S etftrrtt frm himrr .Sweedarv w TrrfarytnLliz Wa Un waur.'.rtvti LU wersteaare IB 15 tc $5 Fan- We edict tike eat eketiaateaan , CAPITAL,, •800.000 ?•• tea k* traaled at bro* tadtr saat n«ruty. If yes bar* takra aartßry, leLlt yoUxl aadstulkava accnaadyaiat. ißWuPktekMialcgik.SertTknM, Corner CCwM S»ou. H'er’Sßajy parlafUa Mr, lair er trebrswa It nr ut. vrUfcrjroefl es COOK REMEDY CO. 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 I open fires, insuring a liquor of I rare quality. Our entire prod- I uct is sold direct to the con- / r I eumer, who thua gate an un- 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 r e f u n d ed. Everything I shipped tn plain eases. ' Address all orders to The Mountain Dell Co., Distillers. Dept. A, Atlanta, Ga- 1