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Harwell at LaGrange and Mr. Tal
man at Woodbury and Mr Murphey
,t Hamilton has been the subject of
much discussion and the apprehen¬
sion abounds that the short crop and
poor collections will shove others to
the wall. These depressions are
fearful things and work great hard
ship on some good men. Unlimited
credit is a public calamity and is an
other argument against the credit
system.
* * *
The Congiess of United States met
on the 5th; Hon. J. G. Carlisle was
elected Speaker of the House and J.
A. Clark, Clerk. The Georgia dele
gation was present. This is the long
session and likely to hold until next
summer. The President’s message is
wise and conservative and full of
statesmanship. Mr. Cleveland will
will be re-elected if the citmocrats
act wisely and prudently.
* * *
The threatened French revolution
has passed for the present. M. Sadi
Carnot has been elected President of
4
France and temporary quiet restored.
Time fully shows that the French
people are not capable of self govern¬
ment.
*•!: * *
Why the Augusta Chronicle, Ma¬
con Telegraph and Enquirer-Sun, all
able papers, should advertise Atlanta
free of charge has not been explained.
The wiser policy would be to let At¬
lanta “severely alone.”
* * #
R r ilroad circles seem to be quiet
just now, but the near future will
make some developments pleasant to
know.
* * *
The papers are full of speculations
as to what Congress will do. One
thing they will do, if they can, that is
manufacture political capital for next
year. Every probability is that there
will be a reduction in the tariff' and
so it ought to be.
Reader.
Au Old and True Friend.
Such is Thomas, the ‘No-Shoddy
clothier of Columbus, to the well
at j esseu _ cc _ i portion or e tne people OI the
county of Harris. He has done as
much as any man to educate their
taste in dress and to teach them that
>t pays to wear good clothes and to
always buy the best. He proves the
last proposition on every customer.
for every sale he makes establishes
its truth. A man cannot buy a suit
of l homas without being . pursuaded
before he needs another that it pays
to buy the best.
Mr ’ Thomas ’ at his store nevt to
, p , • j , -
tne Kan Kin House, constantly .
is re
ceiving lus tail and winter clothing,
He makes a specialty of wedding
outfits and he can suit vou if YOU
'
contemplate ‘ matrimony y* He f *^ ako aLO
tu.l line . of samples
Carnes a and he
can suit any taste m his special order
PARABLE OF THE TARES.
CRITICAL NOTES BY REV. GEORGE
P. HAYS, D. D. f LL. D.
hesHon XI of the International Series, for
Sunday, Dec. 11—Text of Lesson, Matt,
xiii, 24-30 — Golden Text, Matt, xiii,
39.
This parable helps to correct two very
widespread mistakes. First, it is a common
supposition that hypocritical church mem¬
bers are due to the unfaithfulness of the
preacher or the evilness of the preaching.
This assumes that the tares are due to tho
bad sowing or tho bad seed. This parable is
diivctly in the face of such a doctrine. The
sower here, in the divine explanation found
in verse 37, is the Saviour himself and the
seed is his own people. The ministry of the
Saviour was the model of faithfulness, abil¬
ity and true doctrine; and yet his ministry
was not specially successful if its success is
to be measured by the number of ‘converts
and the ^sence of hypocrisy. The tares are
not He perversities and failures of backslid¬
ers and truo Christians. They are started
and maintained alike by an enemy.
Another mistake is to insist that the church
must be absolutely pure. How often we
hear the lamentation, “It is such a pity tho
church is not faultless.” Often accusations
are brought against ministers and church of¬
ficers that they do not, by church discipline,
cast out of the church those whose purity is
doubtful. This was the suggestion the serv¬
ants made in verse 28, but the Saviour in the
parable takes quite a different view. He
says, “Have patience. Let both grow to¬
gether until tho harvest.” The effects which
he suggests as a good reason for delay (verse
29) are often seen in very hasty attempts at
church discipline. As in agriculture, to pull
up the tares will root up the wheat also, so
an effort to execute the severity of church
censuro on all offenders, however trivial tho
offense, however uncertain the proof, and
however unreliable the accuser, is suro to in¬
jure the growth of truo Christians.
It will bo noticed that tho Saviour does not
hero mako an argument as to what shall be¬
come of the tares, but makes the argument
turn on what will be the effect upon the
wheat. One Christian and his development
in Christian grace is more valued than any
number of outsiders. God’s children are like
the sheep and tho shepherd, and it makes to
God, as to the shepherd, little difference what
may happen to tho wild beasts so the sheep
are safe. The evil is the devil’s work, and
those who do evil are his children and not
God’s children.
In vei-se 25, as often elsewhere by Christ,
we are taught the existence of an actual, per
sonal devil. We may not know how he
works or how he comes to our minds, but it
is Scriptural doctrine that he exists and is
capable of tempting and influencing us to evil.
Wheat and tares are distinct in their
origin (vs. 24, 25), life, growth (v. 26), fruit
and destiny (v. 30). The converted and tho
unconverted differ in like manner. The first
are the work of the Holy Ghost; the others
spring from a corrupt source. The first de
rived their life from Christ, to whom they
are united; they grow up into his likeness;
they have their fruit unto holiness, as is men
tioned in Gal. v, 22. Their dastiny is the
companionship of their exalted Head. Tho
life of the other is of the earth earthy, and
their growth is in the direction of selfishness
and forgetfulness of God. The fruit thereof
*? and the
deslmyof those “represented by the
tares is always similarly represented. In
this world they are often greatly prospered,
much perplexity arises out of this pros
perity of the wicked. This perplexity is no
new thing, neither is the explanation novel,
Various devices have been and are still em
ployed to evade God’s authoritative judg
ment. People are constantly assuming that
any method of divine administration which
commends itself to them as right must there
f ort > be followed by the Almighty. Tares
may be very beautiful, but that does not
save them. Thistles in bloom are exceedingly
beautiful » but they are to be destroyed. At
en d ? f tbe ' vorld ther l wd l stl11 111 the
church , those who cause stumbling and scan
dal and iniquity (v. 41).
Blessedness.—As pain is thelegetimateout
come of vice, so happiness Is the moral out-
come of virtue. Good worts are as natural
a growth out of a renewed heart as the cata¬
logue of evil deeds in Gal. v, 19-21, are the
works of the flesh. Good fruit does not make
a good tree, but it proves that the tree ia al¬
ready good. The thermometer does not make
a room warm, but it shows its warmth. Bo
a virtuous life does sot make the heart good,
but it is the true proof of the renewal of the
heart. When, therefore, Christ in interpret¬
ing this parable speaks of the righteous
“shining forth as the sun” in the kingdom of
their Father, he is simply indicating the cer¬
tainty that a holy life will abundantly mani¬
fest itself. The shining of the saints in the
kingdom of God is perhaps to a limited ex¬
tent like the light of the moon, a reflected
light; yet as they partake of the light and
indwelling of the sun of righteousness, the
light of that sun shines gloriously in them.
It is not true, therefore, that the saints shall
have nothing of enjoyment and excellence in
themselves, for they shall have within them
the life and power and spirit and holiness, in
full measure, which was imparted to them by
the Spirit of God in their conversion and
sanctification and glorification.
HINTS FOR PRIMARY CLASSES.
BY ALICE W. KNOX.
The last lesson was about sowing good seed
in various places. Recall it. The present
lesson is about seed sowing also, but of two
different kinds of seed and two different
sowers. There is the good seed sown by the
Master—that is, the Son of man—and the
tares or weeds sown by an enemy, who is the
devil.
City children will need more explanations
than those who see the ground cultivated
in the country. But a plant in a flower pot
or vase, the flowers in a green house or con¬
servatory, can illustrate the lesson.
Explain that the good seed, say of wheat,
produces grain from which bread is made.
All good seed produces something useful for
service or beauty; but the seeds that pro¬
duce weeds, tares, are bad seeds and are sown
by evil influences.
Vv r rite on tho board, What is meant by the
good seed ? The last lesson explains that, and
the children, not the teachers, should answer
the question.
Ask, Who can recite a verse that is good
seed? Wliat kind of fruit should that verse
produce? What seed was planted in your
heart? If not, why not? Perhaps the enemy
has sowed tares with it, and they prevent the
growth of the good seed. Go to the great
Master and ask him to destroy the tares and
cause the good seed to grow. The good seed
here represents Christians. See v. 38.
In the lesson the Master says, “Let both
grow together till the harvest;” but that
means that there are good and bad people in
the church, and often it is hard to separate
them, but at the end of the world the angel
reapers will know which are good and which
are bad, and will separate them. In our own
hearts we must strive to keep the weeds out,
that is, keep out evil thoughts which lead to
evil deeds, and God will help up in that
work.
What is the field? The field is the world.
It is a large field, and most of it is full of
bad plants. Although the good and evil must
grow together until the harvest, the laborers
must go forth into all the world and plant
the good seed of the Word.
Who is the enemy? The devil is the chief
enemy, and all who do his work are like him
and scatter bad seed by their evil influence,
There are two masters and two kinds of
laborers, as well as two kinds of seed. Which
do you choose? The tares in the heart are
evil thoughts, evil words, evil deeds. Lying,
stealing, anger drunkenness, disobedience to
oftod WhenTne^rsTn feads anXr
into sin, he is a laborer for Satan, the great
enemy. Satan is wholly bad, and he wants
every one else to be bad. As the ground is
full of weed seeds, so the heart is full of evil,
and only Jesus can change it. Pray for this;
it, for those who seek shall find. All
gin is bad fruit from bad seed, and *all such
fruit pleases the devil but grieves the Lord,
The wicked are the tares.
Why are the righteous like good grain ?
Good grain, such as wheat, oats, etc., is very
useful. It makes food for man and beast.
it sustains life and promotes growth. So
good people are useful. They feed the
huu S r >'’ tend tho sick > the ignorant,
carry comfort to the unhappy. They make
Christianity flourish, and promote the growth
0 f peace, plenty and happiness.
Why are the wicked like tares? Because
they destroy what is good; they put ev
good, and produce misery and unhappi
The devil deceives his followers, promi
all sorts of fair consequences and rewar<
evil doers, while, alas, the way of the trB*
gressor is always hard. Peace of mtfl, |
real happiness is found only in servi. J
We cannot always tell the good froiB
bad, for some people are kind, generous Godl j
faithful, who, after all, do not love
do right to please him but for self pleal i
and selfish motives. God, however, km
the very thoughts of the heart and thej
tives that actuate every one. He will re* :
no mistakes; his at the children last he and will who tell his an nc*~S ^
who are own are
Teachers should read the description Re\^L o»
harvest in the fourteenth chapter of r
tion. Let every lesson lead to Jesus as !*.
Saviour, who is able to overcome all evil, h
not be afraid to teach the whole gospel to •
tie children; it will arm them for tho v, '
fare with sin that is surely before them, w
Jesus explained this parable. (See
xiii, 36-48.)—Sunday Scho^ 1 World.
k
WOMEN’S WORK IN SYRIA.
Cooking and Caring for the Children iB
a Lazy Husband—Social Restrict! on . 1
There- are grand women in AralBt
women of ability, keen insight and
dorful capabilities. The duties of
wife of a Syrian today are as follow
She brings all the water for family i
from a distant well. This is accomplish
by filling immense jars and brinj
them upon her head. She rises early
goes to the handmill of the village,
rying corn, enough of which for the
bread she grinds by a slow, laborious p®
cess. This she carries home and cooks
an oven, which is made in the earth,
is a round hole, lined with oval and f
stones, and heated by a fire built in
When the bread is mixed with water a
a little salt she removes the ashes a
plasters little pats of dough against
hot stones crude? to cook. Could anything |
more
She cares for her children —usually l
large family—ami does all the
work at intervals, while the devoted
„
husband calmly smokes his “argelie, ”
hou® ,
sits cross legged upon his divan or i
top, in conversation with some
hard working member of Syrian
The houses are made of a coarse stow
roughly hewn. The housetops
clay, covered with coarse gravel. In hot
weather the sun bakes this mud formed
roof and large cracks appear. The rain
comes, and, as a natural consequent^,
the roof leaks.
This is something of which the
tidious inhabitant of the Bible land does
not approve. It does not add to his bodily
comfort. He remedies the difficulty!,
shall I tell you how? Not by any effort f
his own; far from it; his wife
ascends to the housetop, and in the
ing rain pro pells a roller of solid stoi
backward and forward, much as we u
a lawn mower. This rolls the sun
cracks together and prevents the
of water.
These are only a few of a Syrian
wife’s duties. Her reward is not in
world surely. She cannot speak to
husband in public; she can receive
caress before his friends. She goes
and scantily clad. She has no time
make her own habiliments, for her
must weave and spin and embroider
tistically and abundantly for the
the In
feet are protected onlv bv open
6 * D dais, and drops( Of blood mark her waj
to the Syrian well. lhis is no extra]
ordinary thing, but by thoge who havj
repeatedly seen it, I have been informed!
Of course this is among the lower and
middle classes of society in Syria,
those who belong to a higher class
very, very few.—The Swiss Cross.
Coin of tlie World.
The London Economist estimates tha
there are $5,000,000. UuO of coin in tl*
present circulation of the world or avail
able for circulation. Of this inagnificen
total $3,200,000,000 is in gold and $1,
800.000.000 is silver
