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jD- SFTTON, Editor and Prop’r. Sr. f lmage's sermon. CONGREGATIONAL SINGING. Text: “It. came even to pass, as the trum peters aud singers were as one, to make one sound to 1» heard in praising a id thanking the Lord.’’-11, Chrott. v. IST .The Temple was done. It wits the very thotus of all magnificence and pbmp. Splen nor crowded against sfilen lot. It was th > diittttond necklahe of the earth. From tlio huge pillars crowned with leaves of flowers and hows Os pomegranate wrought out in burnished metal, dowfi even to. the tongs and shutters made out of pure gold, everything whs as complete as the God-direct, d architect eould taake it. . It seemed hs if d vfsioii frbin heaved had alighted on the mountains. Thb (laj?, for dedication canie. Tradition says that tlitre were in and round about.tlie temple on that day 2<10,000 silver trumpets, t();ilO0 ljarps, 4(l;000 timbrels and :ioo,ooo.singers; so that all cooderii demonstrations at thus M . or Boston seem nothing compared with that- A.s. this great ,po ind surge;! lip a nid Ihe precious stone;,of tlie Temple, it must have seeuie I li|c« the rivoj of life dashing against tlip amethyst of tho wall of Hi awn. Tge 3011 ml arose anil God, as jt to show that Be was wpll p'easeu, with tlie miisic which H|s children make in all ages, dropped into tlio midst of the Temple a cloud of glory so overpowering that, the official ingprie t; were obliged to stop in the midst of the services. Tuere has been much discussion as to where music was born. I think that at the begin ning, w hen the morning stars sang together mi 1 nil the suns of God sli mted for joy, that the emth heard the echo. the cloud on which the nngel stood to celebrate the crca non was ttie birthplace of song. The stars that glitter at night are only so many keys of celestial pearl on which God’s fingers piny the music of tlio spheres. Inanimate nature is full of God’s stringed mid wind instruments. Silence itself—perfect silence—is only a musi cal rest in God’s great anthem of worship. IV ind among the leaves, insect humming in tlgo summer air, the rush of billow upon beach, the ocean far out sounding its ever lasting psalm, the bobolink on the edgeof the forest, the quail whistling up from the grass, are music. While visiting Blackwell’s Island I heard coming from tle window of the lunatic asylum, a very sweet song'. It was sung by one who had lost her ren on; and I have come to believe that even the deranged anil disordered elements of nature Would mako music to ours ear, if we only had acuteness enough to listen. I suppose that even the sounds in nature that are discordant and repulsive make harmony in God’s ear. You know that you may come so near t > an orchestra t hatthesounds are painful instead of pleasurable; and I think that we stand so near I'.eva-t.atiug storm and frightful whirlwind we cannot hear that which makes to God's ear an 1 the ear of tho spirits above us a music as complete as it is tremendous. The Day of Judgment, which will boa day of uprcnr and tumult, 1 suppose will bring no dissonance to the ears of those who can calmly listen; although it will he as when some great performer is executing a boister ous piece of music, he sometimes breaks down tho instrument on which he play*; so it may be on that last day that the grand inarch j of God, played by the fingers of thunder and I eartliqunke and conflagration may break j down the world upon which the music is ! executed. Not only is inanimate nature full of music but God has wonderfully organized the human voice, so that in the plainest throat and lungs there are fourteen direct miis des which can make over sixteen tuousand ditferent sounds! Now, there are thirty indirect muscles which can make, it j has been estimated, more than one hundred ] and seventy-three millions of sounds. Now, I say, when God ha; so constructed the human ! voice and when he has filled the whole earth [ with harmony, and wherqhe recognized it in ' the ancient Temple, I have a right to come to I the conclusion that God loves music. I propose this morning to speak about sacred j musiv, first showing you its importance and j then stating some i f the obstacles to its ad vancement. 1 draw the first argument for the Impor tance of sacred music from the fact that God j commanded it. Through Paul He tells us to admonish one another in psalms and hymns | and spiritual songs; through David He crie; out: “Fing ye to God all ye kingdoms of the j earth.” And there are hundreds of other pas sages I might name, proving thut it is ns mucli a man's duty to sing a; it is his duty to pray. Indeed I think there are more com mands in the Bible to sing than thero nre to pray. God not only asks for the human voice out for the instruments of music. He asks for the cymbal and the harp and tho trumpet. And 1 suppose that, in the fast days of tho church, the harp, the lute, tho trumpet, and nil the instruments of music that have given their chief aid to the theatre and bact banal, will be brought by their masters and laid down at the feet of Christ, and then sounded in the church’s triumph on her way from suffering into glory. “Praise ye the Lord!” Praise Him with your voices. Praise Him with stringed instruments and with organs. I draw another argument for the irnport nu e of this exercise from the impressiveness of the'exercise. You know something of what secular music has achieved. You know it has made its impression upon governments, : up on laws, upon literature, upon whole gene rations. One inspiriting national air is worth thirty thousand men as a standing army, j There come; a time in the battle when one bugle is worth a thousand muskets. In the earlier part of our civil war government pro posed toeconomize in bands of musieanil many of them were sent home: but tho generals in the army sent word to Washington: “You are making a very groat mistake. Wo ure falling back and falling back. We have not enough music.” Then tho government changed its mind; more bands of music were sent to the field and the duy of shame ful defeat terminated. I have to tell you that no nation or church can afford to severely economize in music. Why should we rob the programmes of worldly gavety when we have so many ap propriate songs and tunes composed in our own day, as well as that magnificent inheri tance of church risalmody which lias come down fragrant with the devotions of other generations—tune; no more worn out than when our greatgrandfathers climbed up on them from the church pew to glory? Dear old souls, how they used to sing! When they were cheerful our grandfathers and grandmothers use Ito i sing “Col ‘hester.” When they were very i meditative, then the nveting house rang with “South Street” and “St. Edmonds.” Were they struck through with great tenderness i they sang “Woodstock.” Were they wrapped in visions of the glorv of the church, they sang “Zion.” Were they overborne with the i love and glory of Christ, they sang “Ariel.” And in those days there were certain tunes married to certain hymns, and they have j lived in peace a great while, these two old i people, and we have no right to divorce ] them. “What God hath joined together let . no man put asunder.” Born as we have been j amid this great wealth of church music, aug mented by the compositions of artists in our ; dav, we ouzht not to lie tempted out of the t sphere of Christian harmony and try to seek unconsecrated sounds. It is absurd for a t millionaire to steak < Many of you are illustrations of what i sacred song can do. Through it you were 1 brought into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. < illonfiwnicrij Jfteirifor, You stood out against the warning amltlm arguiui nt of the pulpit,but when in the sweet words of Charles Wes’ey or John Newton or Topludy the lovo of Jesus was sung to your soul, then you surr, ndeivd, a.s armed castle that could not lie taken by a host, lifts its window to listen to a harp's trill. There «a.s a Scotch soldier dying in New Orleans aud a Scotch minister cornu into ! give him the consolations of tho Gospel. The . j man turned over on his pillow and sad: , “Don’t talk to me about religion.” Thou tho j Boot di minister Vegan to sing a familiar ’ hymß of SiOtland that wtls compose I by David Dickenson, beginning With the wolds: “Oh mother, dour JtM us'ilt 1 n, : j Wivai shall 1 cOmti to thee?” ’ lib siing_it tri til' tuno of Dundee, anil i every! o-iv m H *ntland knows that: and as ho | began td sing the dying soldier turned over 1 pu his pillow tind said to the minister: f ‘'Where did you iaarn that?” ‘‘Why,”re plied the minister; “niy mother taught mo that.” “Fo (did mine;” said the dying Scotch | soldipr; and the very foundation of his ! heajt was Upturned, and then and there he yielded himself to Christ. Oh, it ■ has an irre-itjble power!. Luther's sermons have been forgotten hut fiis “Judgment Hymn” sings on through th* ages and will j keep on singing until tlio blast of the areh- I angel’s trumpet shall bring about, that very day which the h vatu igefebrates. I would to God that those who hear me to-day would take these songs of lulvation ns messages from heaven; for, just as certainly as, the birds brought food to Elijah by the brook Chprith, so those winged harmonics. God-rent, are flying to your soul with the broad of life. Op u your mouth and take it, O huugry Eli jah! I liavo a’so noticed tho power of saerod song to soothe perturbation. You may have come in hero with a great many worriments mid anxieties, yet perharis in tlio singing of tho first hvmu you lost nil those worriments aud anxieties. You have read in Ihoßili’o of haul, aud how he was sad and angry, and how tho hoy David came in and played tlio evil spirit out of him. A Spanish king was | melancholy. The windows were all dosed. Ho sat in the dark less. Noth ng could bring him forth until Fro noli came and discoursed music foi three ot‘ four (lays to him. On the fourth (lay ho looked up and Wept and rejoiced, and | tho windows were thrown open, and that which all the splendors of the court could 1 nit do, the power of song n omplishe 1. If you have anxieties and worriments try this heavenly charm upon them. Do not sit down on the bank of the hymn, but plunge in, that the devil of care may be brought out of you. It also arouses to action. Do you not know that a singing church is always a triumphant i church! If a congregation is silent during the ] exercise, or'partially silent, it is tho silence of j death. If when the hymn is given out you j hear the faint hum of hero and there a father i and mother in Israel while the vast ma jority are silent, that minister of Christ who is pre siding needs to have a very strong constitution i f ho does not get the chills. He needs not onl V the grace of God but nerves like whalebone. It is ania> lug how some people with voice enough to discharge all their duties in the world, when they come into tlm house of God have no voice to discharge this duty. I really believe that if the church of Christ could rise up and sing as it ought to sing, that where we have ft hundred souls brought into the kingdom of Christ there would be a thousand. How was it in olden time! j Cajetan said: “Luther conquered us by hit ! songs.” But I must now speak of some of tlio ob ; sta dos in the way of the advancement of this sacred music; and tho first is, that it has been impressed into the service of supersti tion. lam far from believing that music ought always to be positively religious. Re fined art has opened places where music has j been secularized and lawfully so. The draw ! ing-room, the musical club, the orchestra, the j concert, by tho gratification of pure taste ! and the production of harmless amusement i and the improvement cf talent, have become I very forces in the advancement of our civili j zation. Music has as much right to laugh in j Surrey Gardens as it has to pray in St. Paul’s, j In tho kingdom of nature we have the glad j fifing of the winds as wall as the long met re { psalm of tho thunder. But while all this is so, every observer has noticed that this art, which God intended for tlio iin j nrovement of the ear and the voice and tho j head and the heart, has often been impressed I into the service of error. Tartiui, the musi cal composer, dreamed one night that Satan snatched from his hand an instrument and : played upon it something very sweet—a i dream that has often boon fulfilled in our ! day, the voice and the instruments that | ought to have been devoted to Christ, eap | tured from the church and applied to pur ! poses of sin. Another obstaclo has been an inordinate j fear of criticism, Tho vast majority of peo j plo singing in church never want anybody j else to hear them sing. Everybody is wait- | ing for somebody else to do his duty, I' we j all sing then the inaccura ies thatareevident when only a few sing would be drowned out. j God asks you to do as well as you can, and j then, if you get 1h; wrong pitch or keep wrong time, he will forgive any deficiency j of the ear and imperfections of tho voice, j Angels will not laugh if you should j lose your place in the musical scale, or come i in at the close a bar behind. There are three schools of singing, lam told—the German j school, the Italian school and the French school of singing. Now, I would like to add ; a fourth school, and that is the school of Christ. The voice of a contrite,broken heart, | although it may not be able to stand human criticism, makes better music to God’s ear j than the most artistic performance when i tho heart is wanting. I know it is easier to preach on this than it is to practice; but J sing for two reasons first, because I like it and next because I want to encourage those who do not know how. I have but very little 1 acuity in that direction and no culture at all, yet 1 am re solved to sing though every note should go off like a Chinese gong. God has commanded it and I dare not be silent. He calls on the beasts, on the cattle, on the dragons to praise him, and we ought not to bo behind the cattle and the dragons. Another obstacle that has been in tho way of the advancement of this holy art has been so much angry discussion on the subject of music. There are those who would have this exercise conducted by musical instruments. In the same church there are those who (hi dol uke musical instruments, and so it is or gan and no organ, and there is a fight. In another church it is a question whether the music shall lie conducted by a precentor or by a drilled choir. Home want a drilled choir and some want a pre centor, and there is a fight. Then there are those who would like in the church to have the organ played in a dull, lifeless, droning way, while there are others who would have it wreathed into fantastics. branching out into jets ami spangles of sound, rolling and tos-ing in marvellous con volutions, as when in pyrotechnic display you think a piece i< exhau-ted it breaks out in wheels, rockets, blue lights and serpentine demonstrations. Some would have the organ played in almost inaudible sacetne ;, and others would have it full of staccato passages that make tho audience jump, with great eves and hair on end,as though by a vision of the Witch of Endor; and he who tries to please all will succeed in nothing. Nevertheless you are to admit the fact that this contest which is going on in hundreds of the churches of the United States to-day. is a mightv hindrance to the advancement of this art. In this way scores and s ores of churches are entirely crippled as to all influ- MX. VERNON. MONTGOMERY GO., GA . THURSDAY. JUNE 10, 1880. j once and tho music is a damage rather than a nraise. ■ • i . Another obstacle M the advancement, of this art, has been the erroneous notion that this part of the service eould lie conducted by n delegation. Ghurehes have said: “Oh. what an easy time we shall have. The minis ter will do the preaching nnd the choir will do the singing and we will have r. Thing to do." Anil you know ns well ns I that there j nre a great iiniltitr.de of churches All through this land where the people are not expected to sing. The whole work is done by delega tions of four or six or ten persons and tlio audience is silent. In such n church in ByrdcuSe, an old elder persisted in singing,and so the chair appointed a commit tee toed and ask tho squire if he would not Stop. You know that, in ft great multitude 6f churches the choir fire ex; acted and do all I the singing and tho great masses of people »rti expected to ho silent, and if you utter your voice you are interfering. There they stand, the four, with opera glasses dangling at their side, singing, “Rock of Ages, cleft for mo,-” with the same spirit that the night Refold, on the stage, they took their pfirt itt the “Grand Duchess” or “Doit GioYhhm'i.” My Christian friends, have wo a right to? delegate to others the discharge of this duty which God demands of us? Suppose that fi ur wood thrushes propose to do all the sing ing some bright day when the woods are ringing with bird voices. It is decided that four wood thrushes shall do all the singing of tho forest. Let all other voices keep silent, flow beautifully t.ho four warbled! It is really tine music Bat now long will you keep the forest still! Why < ’heist would come into ! hat forest and look v: o as he looked through tho olives, aud ho would raise fit 3 hind and say: “Let everything that Rath breath praise the Lord;” and keeping time with the stroke of innumerable wings there would be live thousand bird voices loaning into the harmony. Suppose this delegation of musical performers were tried in heaven; suppose that four choice spirits should try to do the singing of the upper temple. Hush now, thrones anil dominions and principalities. David, be still, though you wore tlio “sweet singer of Israel.” i'aal, keep quiet, though you have cor;;,, to that crown of rejoicing. Richard Baxter, karpstill, though this is tuo “Saints’ Everlasting Best.” Four spirits now do all the siuging, But how long would heaven be quiet? How long? “Hallelujah!” would cry some glorified Methodist from under tlie altar. “Pinisotha I,ord!” would sing tho martyrs from among tho thrones. “Thanks lie unto God who givotli us tho victory!" a great multitude of redeemed spirits would cry—myriads of voices com ing into tho harmony and the ono hundred and forty aud four thousand break ing forth Into ono acclamation. Stop that loud singing! Stop! Oh, no; they cannot hear me. You might as well try t > drown the thunder of the sky or beat back tho roar of tho sea, for every soul in heaven has re solved to do its own singing. Alas, that, wo should have tried on oar! h that which they cannot do in lccavcn, and instead of joining all our voices in the praise of tlio Most. High God, delegating perhaps to unconsecrated men and women this most solemn and most delightful service. Now, in thischurch, we haveresolved upon tho plan As conducting the music by a pre centor. «av a do it tor two reasons: i mo is uni by throwing the whole responsibility upon the mass of the people, making tho great multitude the choir, we might rouse inora heartiness. The great congregation com ing on tho Sabbath day fool that they cannot do! gate this part, of the great service t • any ono else, and so t, v themselves assume it.' Wo have gi -ions congregational singing hero. People h. e como many miles to hoar it. They are not sure about tho preaching, but they can always depend on the singing. Wo have heard tho sound coining up liko “tho voice of many waters,” but it will be done nt a better rate after a while, when wo Rhall realize the height nnd tho depth, and tho im mensity of this privilege. Another roason why wo adopted this plan: We do not want any choir quarrels. You know very well that in scores of the churches there has been perpetual contention in that direction. The only church light; that ever occurred under my ministry was over a melodeon in iny first settlement. Have you never been in church on tho Sabbath day and heard tho choir sing and you said: “That is splendid music?” Tho next Sabbath yon were in the church and thero was no choir at all? Why? The leader was mad or his assist ants were, or they were nil mail together. Some of the choirs are ma le up of our j host Christian people! Some of the warmest friends 1 have ever had liavo stood up in them, Sabbath after Sabbath, conscientiously nnd successfully lending tho praises of God. But tho majority of the choirs throughout tho land arc not made up of Christian peo ple, and three-fourths of the ehurrfh fights | originate in tho organ loft. I take that hack, ! and say nine-tenths. Many of our churches | are dying of choirs. Let us as a church give still more atten tion to tho music. Ts a man with voice enough to sing keeps silent during this exer cise, ho commits a crime against God and Insults the Almighty. Music ought to rush from the audience like the water from a rock —clear, bright, spark ling. If nil the other part of the church ser vile is dull do not have the music dull. With so many thrilling things to sing about, 1 away with all drawling and stupidity! j Thero is nothing that makes me so nervous as to sit in a pulpit and look off on an audience with their eyes three-fourths closed and their lips almost shut, mumbling the praises of God. During my recent absence 1 preached to u large audience and aii the music they made together did not equal one skylark! People do not sleep at a coronation Do not let us sleep when wo como to a Saviour’s j crowning. In order to a proper discharge of this duty let us stand up, save as ago or ! weakness or fatigue excuse us. Heat slm an j easy pew we cannot do this duty half so well j as when, upright, we throw our whole body. | into it. Let our song be like an acclamation j of victory. You have a right to sing. Do not surrender your prerogative. Wo want to rOusc all our families upon this subject. We want each family of our congregation to lie a singing school. Child ish petulance, obduracy and intractability would be soothed if wo hail more singing in the household, and then our little ones would lie prepared for tlie great congregation on | Sabbath dav, their voices uniting with our voices in tlie praises of the Lord. After a shower there are scores of strearm that come down the mountain side with : voices rippling and silvery, pouring into ono river, and then rolling In united strength to the sea Ho I would have all the families in mv church send so-th the voice ( of prayer and praise.pouring it into the groat i tide of public worship that rolls on and on to empty into the great, wide heart of God. Never can we have our church sing ns it ought until our families sing ns they ought. There will be a great revolution on thissub iect in all our churches. G> d will come down by his soirit and rouse up the old hvrnns and tunes that have not ben more than half : awake since the time of our grandfathers. The silent pews in the chur h will break to''tli into music, ami when the conductor takes his place on the Sabbath day, there will b* a great ho-? of voices rushing into the harmony. My Christian friends, if w' have no taste for this service on earth, what will we do in Heaven where they all sing and sing forever? Let me prophesy in regard to any one here who has no delight in the worship of Heaven—if j “SUB t)EO PACK) POUT ITER." ; you 40. not sing »lio pi*ai,sas of Go 1 oil < art lv t ! do not' believe you " it? oyor siiA* thorn in' i glorv.* I -woiiM our sinking ro-davj | lpiigat bo liko the (Saturday ni?htf iVltrarsnl | for the Sahbalb morning in tlio skios, atiu now by tlio strength and by tin holpofGo!?, to discharge «'i -1 iV of us have I'i iiiy | ‘ r.V» tn.vl, “Lot thoso rofuso to s»n'g r Who novor know mir God, But ohiltlren of tho Honvonlv king Should speak their joys abroad. “Tho hill of Zion yields A thousand sa tv l sweets. Before wo roach tho heavenly Holds. Or walk tlie golden street.. ••Then let our songs nboun 1, And every t nr be dry ; We’re nutVohing tin*, ugh E.imnud’s ground To fftinT Worlds on high.” Como now, olonf your thrmts nnd got. ready for this dnfv of vent will never hoar t he And of this. I never shall for rot herring a Frenchman s'*-. •* ’’ \ • >»t the cfeunp Klysoo s Paris, just before til* battle of ftodnn. Ino versa w such enthusi asm boforo or rfiitce, as ho snug that national air. Oh, how t*h“ hVbuchmoh shouted! Have you ever in an I'hrilhh assemblage h urda baud play “God Have the b>uo Mis H you liavo you know something about the oiithusiasirt of a national air. Now. I t,*ll you tlmt ih *no ir ngs we sing Sabbath bv b'aobuth are tlm national airs of .losus Christ nnd of tho lun donl wf heaven. When Crom .veil’s army weiifc intd battle, he stood nt th * h ,, nd of Hi *m ono drfy nftfl gave out the long inel.ro doxol og.y to the f-mwt of “OM Hundred,” aud that great litysf, c'amprtuv bv rompn iy, lvgi- . mont f>V regiment, battalion by battalion, joined ivf th • doxoirigv: “ Praise (ted front tfhotoi nil blessing How, Praise him all oivaturo-i li re htfoxt; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Prais * Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” And while tliv sung they man‘hod, nnd while they mnivhed they fought-, nil l while tl*>v fought t hoy got the vietory. (>, men and women of Jesus Christ, let us go into nil our eontliet* singing the praises of God, aud then, instoa 1 of falling h:rk :is we often do, from defeat to defeat, we will bo marching on from victory tovietorv. An Innocent Mnn. Tho trial of a man for murder had just commenced in a Dakota court when the attorney for tho defense arose and said: “If the court pleaso, wo liavo no fear as to the outcome of this trial. Iu tho testimony we shall prove that the murder was committed four miles from town, at two o’clock in the afternoon. We shall also establish the fact that there was a circus in town that day.” “Hold on,” said tho judge excit edly, “you say there was a circus in town?” “Yes, sir, the Anti-European Con glomeration showed there that day.” “Yes, I’ve seen it—-two rings, a spotted grave digging hyena and seven lady bareback riders. You say the man was killed about two o’clock?” “Yes, your honor.” “Just tin? time of the ring parade?” “ The same time.” “While the elephant and double humped cmi els were going around. “Yes, sir.” “The prisoner is discharged. Trying to prove that a man was four miles away from town on such an occasion is looko I upon as malicious persecution by this court. The unfortunate gentleman who was found dead without doubt commit ted suicide when lie realized that ho wai in that kind of a position himself.--. Entelinc (l)ak.) Dell. Setting a lla'l Example. A member of a Lawrence county (Da kota) school board Was speaking of the teacher employed. “That feller ain’t givin’ no satisfaction at all,” he said. “Wliy, I thought lie came from tlie East highly recommended.” “Oh, I s’jKwe he was, but lie don't seem to suit,, jist tlie same.” “Hut lie has a good education.” “Yes, I guess lie's got a straight! flush on edecation all right 'naff, but the trouble’s right here: Nalerly, you know, the big boys have a little poker game at noon, nnd uv course have the teacher set iu.” “Yes.” “Well, I’m cussed cf they ain't jist about cleaned him out uv his wages! Now, what kind of n /ample do you Cali that, lettin’ boys down him that way? I don’t want, rny children goin’ ! to no sicli s :hool. Seems Vis we can’t hardly get a good teacher no more -■ blamed es f don’t b’lievc I’ll go ovei a id take holt uv tiie school in self.” KitteUinc (Dak. ) Dell . A Reasonable Excuse. Preacher (after prayer meeting)--“I didn't notice you down on your knee; during the prayers, Brother Billson. I trust your faith is not weakening ” Brother Billson—“No, indeed. But, Mr. Pulpit, I have been on my knee?) ad afternoon, and to tell the truth i was too sore to kneel.” Mr. Pulpit- “Ali! excuse r»e, Brother Billson. Pardon my blunder. Os course when a man spends his afternoon in piayer that makes a difference.” Brother Billson “I didn't say I was at prayer this afternoon. We got a new stove at our house yesterday and the thing wouldn't draw.” —Pew York (Jraphic. Course Approved. Student—“ Well, we treated the pa tient in the most approved way.” Doctor—“ How?” Student—“ Well, wo put him on milk diet; then he was put on wine; then wo put him on the electrical treatment; tlier we put him on quinine, arid now ” Doctor—“ You will put him on ice.”— Hotel Hail. Couldn’t Say “Boo.” Her Little Brother (holding up the cat) —“Say ‘Boo,’ Mr. Smith.” Mr. Smith—“ What for, Bobby?” Her little Brother—“l want to know if you can. Sister says you can’t efy ‘Boo to a cat.’”— Judge. REV. SAM JONES. A Pen Portrait of the Noted fsoutherri Revivalist. A Skotcli of 1 His Oaroot and a Fow Samples of His Sayings? The Ui <t Ham P. Jones, lias achieved wide fame as tit' evangelist, lie was born in Chambers County, Alabama, Oct. 10, 1847. Soon after, his parents re moved to his future home, Gartcrsviltc, Ga. Mr. Jones is of eminently religious parentage, lie adopted his father's pro fession of law after receiving an excellent education. An excess of animal spirits caused the future preacher to become dis sipated. lie sunk lower and lower. When he now preaches against intoxicants, gambling, mid other dissipations he knows w hat lie is talking about. Mr. Jones’ father, on his dying bed, made ft lost appeal to (lie better manhood of Ins son. Tho finer nature of the man was touched, and he reformed. Itoreal j i/.ed the horrors of the pit from which he had escaped, and therefore all the more besought others to do right, lie was in tolerant of the vices of society and the Inconsistencies of ('hristains. His plain speaking made hint many enemies, yet his evident sincerity gained him high re spect. In October, 1872, Mr. Jones joined the North Georgia Conference of the Meth odist Episcopal Church Houth. He re mained from two to throe years on sever al circuits. Gradually it dawned on him nnd his friends that he could do the most effective work as tin evangelist. Iu 1880 Mr. Jones was appointed agent of tho orphans’ home of his conference. Ho soon placed it in a prosperous condition. There is a reminder hereof over a centu ry ago, when George Wliitefield went up nnd down the land preaching nnd raising funds for his orphan home in Georgia. Mr. Jones then extended 1 1 is field. After many successful meetings in vari ous Southern States, lie attracted the at tention of tho Rev. T. DoWitt Talmagc, who hud him conduct a revival at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. After more work in tin? South, Mr. Jones spent a month in St. Louis recently. He is engaged for months ahead. Mr. Jones is tall and rather good-look ! ing. Jle is deliberate in speech, and is j something of an orator. Although ho ! sometimes indulges in slang to drive home a truth, ho i,s a master of the speech of the common people. He is witty, sar castic, humorous, pathetic, elegant, whenever he wishes to be. To crown all, lie is forever in earnest, always persua sive, and never loses the object of his discourses to save souls. Mr. Jones has met with great success. Ilis meetings produce intense interest. 110 is everywhere indorsed by leading or thodox ministers. In the South lie has been provided with an immense tent, holding thousands. At Nashville and other cities it was jammed every day for weeks. About 1872 Mr. Jones was married to Miss Laura MeElwuin, of Eminence, Ky. Many of Mr. Jones’ sayings are of the kind that stick in the memory, and not a few are clear-cut gems of counsel. Ho may be reckless of speech, but be in some way manages to make a good many cen ter shots. Here are some of Ham’s say ings; “There is just as much religion in laughing as in crying.” “I have never heard of a man getting up in meeting anywhere and confessing thut lie was selfish or avaricious.” “An obedience that dares to go, that dares to sillier, and dares to do. That is what we want.” “lied lirpior and Christianity won’t stay in the same hide nt Hie same time.” “I like some folks that have got. some laugh in them. There is nothing to he done with a dead crowd.” “One preacher told me lie got down on his knees one evening and prayed to heaven, to God Almighty, te straighten out Brother Jones and change him in a few things, and that he would be a good preacher if that could be done. He prayed until about 'sundown, and got off his knees, and the Lord seemed to say to him: ‘Well, I heard you praying for j Jones, and if I was to fake all those I things away from him lie would be no | more account than you are.’ He said it | liked to scare him to death, and he never prayed on that line since.”— fit. Louie (Jlobe - Demnerat. No, Ethel; when you hear of a young girl having made a good “match” it doesn’t signify that she lias got sointhing that will get up every morning and light the fire. The young man who imprinted a re spectful kiss on the fair forehead of his best gir! told his friend next day that lie hud been having a hangup time. VOL. !. NO. H. Reawakened Memory. Two years ago n young Hian living in a Vermont village, having fh?i»hed his academical education, was ready U> «iv ter college. Hut just before the day <*jr pointed for his examination ho was taken' ill. After several weeks of suffering he slowly recovered Ids health, hut discov ered that his mind lmrl lost the knowl edge tfprjuived by six years of hard study. Latin, Greek, and mathematics, nfl) were’ gone, and his mind was a blank hi re peels to his preparatory studies. lfia* doctor prescribed that he should rest his mind and familiarize himself with a few j simple detail-* of light work. Iff obeyed the advice, and found in his old lui'hit of doing things carefully the schoolmaMev that brought hack his old knowledge. Before his illness the young man, in or der to earn a little money, had taken care of the village church, sweeping rA out, cleaning the lamps and doing all tile' work, of a sexton. ITo now resumed this' work and by the physician’s advice tried to keep his mind from puzzling itself about its loss of memory. Several weeks went by without bringing any change, hi his mental condition. tfrte Humbiy evening a stranger entered’ the church, and, as the sermon was a dull one, gazed carelessly around until his attention was attracted by tho l»Hip« on the wall, lie noticed that all Mies wicks were so carefully trimmed that there was not an irregular flume to he seen, lie wondered as to who could bo the careful sexton, and, happening to bo in the place the following Sunday, fu” again noticed the same uniform trimming of the wieks. I’iessing the church tho next day and seeing the, door open, he walked quietly in and saw the sexton sweeping out tins central aisle. Looking closely at tho young man, the stranger said: “Do you do all the work about the church?” “Yes, sir.” > “Do you trim the lamps?” > “Yes, sir.” “Why do you trim them in such a pe culiar way?” “I don’t know what you mean.” “Why, the flames are alike.” “(111, hut they ought to lie. You would not’have them uneven, would you?” “No,” answered tho stranger, with a smile, “hut it speaks well for your care fulness, Wby, I should think one of the flames would fit r.ll the others exact ly if if were superimposed on them.” “Kuperimposed 1 isn’t that word used in geometry?” “Certainly. If polygons, having equal sides and angles ” Before the stranger could finish hi* sentence the student threw down hi* broom, rushed frantically out of tho church, ran across the street and into the house, where lie astonished his mother by exclaiming, in tones of triumph: “Mother, 1 know that the square of the hypothenuso of a right angle triangle i* eqiinl to the sum of the squares of tho other two sides 1” In a moment Ids school knowledge had come hack to him, flashed into his mind by the mention of the superimposed fig ures.- -l’liiliidi!l]ihia (Jail. Forty-six Years in One Pulpit. Dr. George Jeffrey, of Glasgow, where lie has preached upward of forty-six years, is reported to have explained the secret of his being aide to maintain an unbroken ministry in the same place so long to one of the former members of his church, who is now a merchant in New York. “I read,” says Dr. Jeffrey, “every new hook that, lias a hearing upon iriy special work, and make extracts from it and index them, so at any moment I can find them when wanted. In this way I keep myself from moving in a rut. I work as hard as I used to float twenty, and I keep so far ahead with my sermons that there arc always ten or fifteen un finished ones lying in my .drawer ready to receive the results of my latest readings. I call them ‘sleeping sermons,’but it is they that sleep, and not the people who hoar them.”— Chrwtian Leaden. A Japanese Advertisement. A bookseller in Tokio, Japan, desiring to sell his wares, thus advertised them in the newspapers: The advantages of oui establishment—l, Prices cheap as a lot tery. 2, Hooks elegant as a singing girl. !l, Print clear as crystal. 4, Paper tough as elephant’s hide. 5, Customers treated as politely as by the rival steamship corn panics. (1, Articles as plentiful as in n library. 7, Goods despatched as expedi tiously as a cannon ball. 8, Parcels done up with as much care as tliat bestowed on her husband by a loving wife. 9, All defects, such ns dissipation and idleness, will be cured in young people paying us frequent visits, anj they will liccome solid men. 10, The other advantage* wo offer are too many for language to ex press.