Newspaper Page Text
JHontgomtrg Jllottttac:
D, C. SUTTON, Editor and Prop'r.
REV. DR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SIN
DAY SEKMON.
Subject: *• The Eaets Proved.”
Text: “IVc are witnesses.” —Act* xv., 3.
In the days o[ f ieorge Stephenson, the jwi'-
feeter of the locomotive engine, the scientists
proved conclusively that a railway train
could never lie driven by steam power suc
cessfully and without peril; but the rushing
express train from Liverpool to Edinburgh,
and from Edinburgh to London, have made
all the nation witnesses of the splendid
achievement. Maehin sts and navigators
proved conclusively that asteanv'r could nev
er cross the Atlantic ocean; but no sooner had
t hey successfully proved the impossihility of
such an undertaking than the work was done,
and the passengers on t lie Canard and the In
man anil tile National and the White Star
lines are witness -s. There went up a guffaw
of wise laughter at Professor Morse’s propo
sition to make the lightning of he aven his er
rand ltoy, and it was prosed conclusively
that the thing could never be done; but now
all the news of the wide world by Associated
Press, put in your hands every morning and
night, has made all nations witnesses.
Si iii the time of Christ it was proved con
clusively that it was impossible tor him to
rise from the dea l. It was shown logically
that when he was dead h > was dead, a id the
heart and the liver and the lungs having
ceased to ]<erfurm their oiliees, the limbs
would be rigid beyond all power of friction
or arousal. They showed it to be an absolute
absurdity that the dead Christ should ever
get up alive; but no sooner bad they proved
this tnan the dead Christ arosr, amt the dis
ciples beheld him, heard his voice and talked
with him, and they took the witness stand to
prove that to be true which the wiseacres of
iho 'day had proved to he impossible; the
record of th; expjrinv’iit an lof tin testi
mony is in the text: “Him hath God raised
from the dead, whereof ive are witnesses.”
Now, let me pi l y the skeptic for a moment.
“Thero is no Go!,'' says the skeptic, for l
have never seen Him with my physical eye
sight. Your Bible is a pack of contradictions.
There never was a miracle. Lazarus was not
raised from the and the watjr was
never turned intow in >. Your religion is on im
position on the credulity of tie* ages.” Thero
is an aged man moving in that pew ns though
he would like to respond. Here are hundreds
of people with faces a little flushed at these
announcements, and all through this house
there is a suppressed fe ling which wdulii like
to speak out in, behalf of the truth of our
glorious Christianity, as in the days of the
text., crying out: “We are witnesses!”
The fact is, that if this world is ever
brought to God, it will not be through argu
ment, hut through testimony. You might
cover the whole earth with apologies for
Christianity and learned treatises in defense
of religion—you would not convert a soul.
Lectures on the harmony between science and
religion are beautiful mental discipline, but
have never saved a soul, and never will save a
soul. Put a man of the world and a.man of
the church against each other and the man of
the world will in all probability get the
triumph. There are a thousand things in our
religion that seem illogical to the world, and
always will seem illogical.
Our weapon in this conflict is faith, not
logic; faith, not metaphysics: faith, not pro
fundity; faith, not scholastic exploration.
But then, in order to have faith, we must
have testimony, and if 500 men. or 1,000 men,
or 500,000 men, or 5,000,000 men get up and
tell me that they have felt the religion of
Jesus Christ a joy, a comfort, a help, an in
spiration, lam bound as a fair minded man
to accept their testimony. 1 want just now
to put before you three propositions, the
truth of which 1 think this audience will at
test with overwhelming unanimity.
The first proposition is : We are witnesses
that the religion of Christ is ablo to convert
a soul.
The Gospel may have had a hard time to
conquer us, we may have fought it back, but
we were vanquished. You say conversion is
only an imaginary thing. Wo know better.
“We are witnesses.” j here never was so
great a change in our heart and life on any
other subject as this. People laughed at
the missionaries in .Madagascar beeanse they
preached ten years without one convert; but
there are 33,0 K) converts in Madagascar to
day. People laughed at Dr. Ju Ison, the Bap
tist missionary, because lie kept on preaching
in Burmah five years without a single con
vert: but there arc Baptists in Burmah
to-day. i iople laughi dat Hr. Morrison, in
China, forpn a liing there seven years with
out a single com e. sion: but there are 15,0dd
Christians in China today. People laughed
at the missionaries for preaching at Tahiti
for fifteen years without a single conversion,
and at the missionaries for preaching in Ben
gal seventeen years without a single conver
sion; yet in all those lands there are multi
tudes of Christ ans to-day.
But why go so lar to lind evidences of the
Gospel's power to save a soul? “We are wit
nesses.” We were so proud that no man
could have humbled us; we were so hard that
no earthly power could have melted us;
angels of God were all around about us, they
could not overcome us; but one day. jieihips
at a Methodist anxious seat, or at a Presby
terian catechetical lecture, or at a burial, or
on borseb ick. a power seized i s. and made us
get down, and made us tremble, and made us
kneel, and made us try for mercy, and we
tried to wrench our eh a away from the
grasp, but we could not. It flung us flat,and
when we arose we were as much changed as
Gourgis, the heathen, who went into a prayer
meeting with a dagg r and a gun to disturb
the meeting and destroy it, but the next day
was found crying: ' Oil, mv great sins! Oh!
my great Saviour!” and for eleven years
preached the gospel of Christ to his fellow |
mountaineers, tin lid words on his dying j
lips being ‘‘Free grace! ’ Oh, it was free '
grace.
There is a man who was for ten years a |
hal’d drinker Ibe dreadful a;i(*etite bad
s-nt down its root; around th' palate and
the tongu", mi oa down until tIK-y wire
interlinked w ;!i the \itals of the body,
mind and soul : but lie has m-t taken ]
any stimulants for two years. \\ hat did |
that: Not temperance societies. Not pro
hibitory laws. Not moral suasion. Conver
sion did it. “Why,” said one ujsm whom j
the great ‘ hang• had come. " ir, X feel just
a.; though I were somtiio ly else.”
There :s a m u captain who swore all the j
way from New York to Ha ana, and from
Havana to San l r.tii -.w o, and wln-ii ho was
in port h was vvnr- than wlr n he was on |
th<’sea. Wliat power v.a-s .t that washed his ■
toagne clean of profanities and inn .e Inin a
pvni): sing- rs Conversion by the Holy Spirit. j
There are thousands of icopL-in this home ,
to-night who are no more what they once ,
were than .a water.fly is nigtib-bad . or a ,
m riling lark is a vuitur . or dav ]-> night.
Now, if 1 should d anan l that all those 1
people in this li- >u— who have feit the con
verting power <ii religion should rise, so lar
from living a ham* 1. they would spring to
their feet w,;h more a a *nty than they ever
sprang to th ■ dance, tact* ars mingling with
tlierr exhilaration a tae . cried; “it e are
wit no. * s And if they trio | to sing the old
Gospel hymn th-v won! 1 bi ■ik down with
emotion "by the time they got to the second
line:
Ashamed of Jesus, that near friend
ijn wuHii mv b .|*es of heaven d.,*'nd.’
So! W tit'ii I b us.’i bi ’ -H inj- etiiima,
'fliiat 1 no more revere bis caiae.
Again I remark that “wo are witnesses” of
the Gospel's power to comfort.
When a man has trouble the world comes
in and says: ’ Now get your mind off this; go
out and breathe the Iresh air; plunge deeper
into business.” What poor ndvico. Get
vour mind off of it! w hen everything is up
ini n vi with the bereavement and everything
reminds you of what you have lost. Get
your mind off of it! They might as well ad
vise you to stop thinking. You cannot stop
tainsing, and you cannot stop thinking in
that direction. " Take a walk in the fresh
air! Why, a'.ong that very street or that
very road she once accompanied you. Out
of that grass plot she plucked flowers, or
into that show window she looked, fasci
nated, saying: “Come, see the pictures,” Go
deeper into business! Why, she was associ
ated with all your business ambition, and
since she has gone you li ivo no ambit ion left.
(fli, this is a clumsy world when it tries to
comfort, a broken heart! lean build a Cor
liss engine. lean pain; a Kapha -I s “Madon
na,' 1 can play a Beethoven’s “Symphony”
i as easily as this world can comfort a broken
| heart. And yet you have been comforted,
j How was it done? Hid Christ come to you
and say : “Get your mir.d of this ; go out
and breathe the fresh air ; plunge deeper into
business !” No. There was a minute when
he came to you—perhaps, in the watches of
the night, perhaps in your place or business.
iKwhsms along Ilio strevt mill ho hioatlio.l
something into your soul that gave peace,
list, infinite quiet, so that you could takeout
the photograph of the departed one and look
into the eyes and the face of the dear one,
and say: “It is all right; she is better off;
1 would not call her back. Lord, 1 thank
thee that thou hast comforted my poor
heart.”
There are Christian parents here who are
willing to t xstify power of this Gospel
to comfort. 5 our son had just graduated
from school or college an 1 was going into
business, and the Lord took him. Or your
daughter ha 1 just gra luated fro n 1 he young
ladies’ seminary and you thought she was
going to bo u useful woman and of long life;
but the Lord took tier and you were tempted
to say: “All tins ■ utturo of twenty years for
nothing!” Or the little child came home
from school with the hot fever that stoppeil
not for the agonized prayer or for the skill
ful physician, and the little child was taken.
Or the babe was lift ’d out of your arms by
some quick epidemic, and you stood wonder
ing why (toil ever gave you that child at all,
; if so soon he was to take it away. And yet
you are not repining, you are not fretful, you
are not fighting against God.
What has cii itiled you to stand all tho
trial? “Oh,” you say, "1 took the medicine
that God gave my s;*’k soul, in my distress
I threw myself ai. the feet of a sympathizing
Go I, and w hen 1 was too weak to pray or to
look up, he breathed into me a peace that l
think must l«* the foretaste of that Heaven
where there is neither a tear, nor a farewell,
nor a grave.” Come, a’l ye who have been
out to the grave to weep there—come, all ye
comforted souls, get up off your knees. is
1 here no power in t his Gospel to soothe the
heart? Is thero no power in this religion to
quiet the worst paroxysm of grief! There
comes up an answer from comforted widow
hood and orphanage and childlessness, say
ing: “Aye, aye, we are witnesses!”
Again, I remark that we are witnesses of
the (act that religion has power to give com
posin'.! in the last mom ’III. • l snail mver for
get the iirsf time 1 confronted death. We
went across the cornfields in the country. I
was led by my father's hand and we came to
the farm house were the liereavement had
come, and we saw the crowd of wagons and
carriages; blit there was one carriage that
es|>eciaily attracted my boyish attention, and
it had black plumes. I said: “What's that?
what's that? Why those black tassels at tho
top: ’ and alter it was explained to mo, 1 was
lilted up to look upon the bright face of an
aged Christian woman, who three days before
had parted in triumph. The whole scene
made an impress,on I never forgot.
in our sermons and in our lay exhortations
, wo are very apt, when we want to bring illus
trations of dying triumph, to go back to some
distinguished jiersonage —toajohn Knox or a
Harriet Newell. But I want you for wit
nesses.
1 want to knew if you have ever seen any
liing to make you believe that the religion of
Christ can give composure in the final hour.
Now, in the courts, attorney, jury and judge
will never a hint mere hears ly. They de
mand that the witness must have seen with
his own eyes, or heard with h.s own ears, and
so i am critical in my examination of you
now, and I want to know whether you have
s en or heard anything that makes you be
lieve that the religion of Christ gives comfort
in the final hour.
•Vdi, yes,’ you say, “I saw my father and
mo-her >1 part, ,'i hero was a great difference
in their dat libe ls. .Standing by the one wo
tc.iL nio.v veneration. By the other there was
m >ro tenderness. ’ Bet ore the one you bowed
perhaps in awe. In the other ease you felt as
if you would like to go along with her. How
iliil they feel in that last hoar? How di 1 they
sc 'in to act: Were they very mu h fright
ened: Hid they take hold of this world nith
both hands as though they did not want to
give it up? “( )h, no,” you say, “no,I reinem
l*er us th High it were yesterday; sue had a
kind word for us all, and there were a few
mementoes distributed among the children,
and then she told ns how kind we must lie to
our father in h.s loneliness, and tan she
kiss d us goodby and went asleep as a child in
a cradle.”
Iv'hat made her so compos :d? Natural
courage? “No,” you say; “mother was very
nervous. When thecurriogo inclined to tho
side of the rouil she would cry out. Hhe was
always rather weakly.” What, then, gave
ln r composure? Was it because she did not
care much tor you and the pang of parting
wai not great? “Oh,” you say, “she showerd
upon us a wealth of affection; no mother ever
loved tier children more than mother loved
us. >Sho showed it by the way she nursed us
when we were sick, and she toiled for us until
her strength gave out. What, then, was it
that gave her composure in the last hour?
l)o not hide it. Be frank and let mo know.
“Oh,” you say, “it was because she was so
good. .She ma le the i/ird her portion, and
sue had faith that she would go straight to
giorv, and that we should all meet her at last
at the foot of the throne.”
Here are people who say: “I saw a Chris
tian brother die, and he triumphed.” And
some one else: *'i saw a Christian s.ster die,
and she triumphed.” Home one else will say:
"1 saw a Christ.an daughter die and sue
triumphed.” f orne, all yc who have seen
the last moments of a Christian, arid give
testimony in this cause on trial. Cncovcr
your te ads, put your hand on the old family
Bible from which they us* si to read the
promises, an t promis: in tbe presence of
tiigii heaven that you will toil the t ruth, the
whole truth, and nothing but tho truth.
With wliat you have win with your
own eyes, and from what you have
heard with your own ears, is there jiower in
this Gospel to give calmness and triumph in
the last exigency ? The response comes from
ad sides. Irani young, and old, and middle
age l : “We are witu. - e-; ! ’
You see. my friends, 1 have not put before
you an abstra lion, or a chimera,or anything
like guesswork. I present you affidavits of
the i<e"-t m n and women, living and d"ad.
Two witnesses in court well establish a fact.
11-re are not two witnesses but thou-ands of
w ilne ses—oil i arth millions of witnesses, and
in lienven a great multitude of witnesses that
no man can number, testifying that there is
power in this religion to convert the soul, to
give com:ort in rroubl?, and to afford com
posure in th.- l».s-t hour.
it ten met should cot no to you when you 1
MT. VERNON, MONTGOMERY CO., (5A., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1887.
are sick with appalling sickness, ana say
they had the same sickness, and took a
certain medicine, and it cured them, you
would probablv take it. Now, suppose ten
other men should come up an(l s;I ,V : “" 0
don't believe t hero is anything in that medi
cine.” “. Well,” 1 say: 'have von over tru'd it?”
“No. I never tried it, but don’t believe
there is anything in it.” Os course you dis
credit their testimony. The skeptic may
come ami say: “There is no power in your
religion!' "Have your ever tried it?” "No,
no.” "Then avaunt;!’’ 1 .it me take the tes
timony of the millions of souls that have been
convert 'd to God and comforted in trial and
solaced in the lust hour. We will take their
testimony as they cry: “5\ e are witnesses!
Home time ago Prof. Henry, of Washing
ton, discovered a new star, and the tidings
siied by submarine telegraph, and all the
observatories were watching for that
new star. Oh, hearer; looking out through
the darkness of your soul, canst thou
sis'a bright light beaming on thee? "Where?''
you say, "Where? How can I find it?” Look
along hv the line of the cross of the Hon of
God. Do you not see it trembling with all
tenderness and beaming with all hope? It is
the Star of Bethlehem.
.Deep lioiror then my vitals froze,
Death struck, 1 ceased the tide to stem,
When suddenly a star arose
It was the Star ol Bethlehem.
It is easier for you nil to become Christians
than it is to stay away from • Tiristand heaven.
When Mine. Hontag began her iiiueieal career
she was hissed off the stage at Vienna by the
friends of her rival, Amelia Steininger, who
had already begun to decline through her
dissipation. Years passed on, and one day
Min'. Hontag, in her glory, was riding
through the streets of Berlin, when she saw a
little child leading a blind w oman, and she
said: “Come here, my little child, come here
Who is that you are leading by the baud?’’
And the little child replied: “That’s my
mother; that’s Amelia Steininger. Hhe used
to lie a great singer, but she lost her voice,
and she cried so much about it that she lost
her eyesight. ’ “Give n y love to her,” said
Mine. Hontag, “and (ell her an old acquaint
a::ee will call on her this afternoon.”
Tho next week in Berlin a vast assemblage
gathered at a benefit, for that poor blind wo
man. and it was said that Mine. Hontag sang
that night as she had never sung before. Anil
she took a skilled occulist, who in vain tried
to give eyesight to the poor Mind woman.
Until the day of Amelia Hteinitiger’s death
Mine, Hontag took cure of her and her daugh
ter after her. That was wliat the queen of
song did for her enemy.
But, oh! hear a more thrilling story still.
Blind, immortal, poor and lost—-thou who,
when the world and Christ were rivals for
thy heart, didst hiss thy Lord away—Chris*
comes now to give thee sight, to give tlusi a
home, to give thee heaven. With more than
a Hontag’s generosity lie comes now to meet
your need. With more than a Hontag'a
music ho comes to plead for lliy delivernn ;o.
A Hard Set-Back.
There were half a dozen of hr sitting
around the depot at Verbena, Ala.,
when an old darky, evidently just in
from the plantation after ’baccy or
groceries, liove in sight.
“Now, boys,” said the Colonel as we
all remarked the old man, “you keep
still and I’ll scare that old nigger out of
year’s growth.”
With that he railed to Sambo and the
old man came up, doffeil his hat and
asked what was wanted.
“I’m Gen. D. ErnXus Longfellow,
and have been sent down hero by the
United States Government to look up
tho marriage certificates of the colored
people. Have you got yours with
you ?”
“N-no, sah."
“You haven’t 1 Then is it at tho
house ?” *
“N-no, sah.”
“Wliat 1 Have you no marriage cer
tificate to show ?”
“’Deed I haven’t, sah.”
“Then, sir, let me inform you that
the penalty is five years in State Prison !
Did you lose your certificate '?”
“Beckon not, salt.”
“Never had one ?”
“Ncblier, sah.”
“Great snakes? but it will go hard
with you, Uncle Moses ! 1 hate to tear
von from your family and send you to
prison for the rest of your days, but
duty must be obeyed. No certificate of
marriage, never had one, and I don’t
suppose you can remember who married
you ?”
“No, sah, I can't.”
“K Plurilns Unum ! But von’t you
catch it ! Where and when were you
married ?”
“Nowhar’, sah ! Ncblier got mnr’il
'tall. Alius done bin what you white
folks call an old bacli -haw! haw!
haw!” — M. Quad.
How They Hired a Stranger.
Don’t know; ask next man.
Third stone house after you cross two
l'oads.
Second house after you pass the cabin
with a liig black dog.
When you corno to a barnyard with a
lame duck, halloa to tho house. That
fanner knows everybody.
It’s the second house beyond the one,
that lias a red barn with a big door
chalked up. That's Bob Smith’s ac
count of his chicken crop. *
Take the fork of the road in your left
hand; then go on till you come to tho
big elm. When you get there, if any
body comes along, ask them.
It’s just three miles and an eighth.
There are seven houses on the left and
six on the right. That makes it the
fourteenth. Go straight ahead.
It is al >out two looks from here. Go
to the toji of that hill and take a look.
Then go as far ns you saw; take another
look. When you get there, you'll see
it.
Turn around the little eliuroh to tho
right. Keep the ridge on your left.
Go half a mile, three quarters, perhaps
a mile. If you know the man you’re
after, you'll find him along there.
Take your second right hand road;
cross two left hand roads, and take your
third. Don’t go up the first right
hand, hut take the second. There’s a
well sweep in the front yard, and a
wheel pump in the barnyard.
After you pass a barnyard with a re<l
wagon, and a white ruare with ft spavin
in her hind leg, you’ll see a stone house
of one story with roof sunk in. That
ain’t the house, 1 nit, if the dog don't hit*;
you. you "an Bed out there.
“SUB DEO FACIO FORTITER.”
OUR 1Y ASI 111; TON LETTER.
A MID-SI MMER DAY’S VISIT TO
THE CAPITOL.
The War Depart incut’s Mod ion I Mu
seum A Kexvofllio Kings.
Wasiiixoton, Am. 1887.
Few poop!.! know of tho attralions that
Washington presents to (lie chi ions, not only
while I’ongii ss is in session mid the social
life of the cnpitol is at its lioiylit, but at tins
season, i\!i n there is only I lie daily routine of
tho dennr!incuts to lie scon, mid the city may
tie said t" it prcsi id existence at its el»b.
Tho view from tin* train as toil approach
Washington is uninteresting in the extreme.
The reddish-gray sand hills of Maryland
stretch away from the railroad on cither side,
and suggest an inquiry as to how Iho dwellers
in (lio isolated Inrm houses and white-washed
cabins manage to exist. But when you stand
upon some eminence within the town, or upon
one of tlic heights along the river, and overlook
the place, von are impressed at once with the
grandeur of tin* scone; and yon realize that
the founders of tlie (’spitol City selected tho
best natural site in lie land.
The early history of I lie city is full of inter
est. It is a will-authenticated fact that, the
Father of Ids Country strongly recommended
tliis site, and his personal interval;*'. with tho
land-owners have come down to us. Kven
after Congress had selected tin' District, h« nt.
present defined, for a Federal Territory, diffi
culty was experienced in persuading tho
planters to suiTcntlei'tin ir lilies to the soil.
A Si'oteliinim named Burns ow ned nix hundred
acres lying just suulli of where the White
House now stands, and lie was unwilling to
part with any portion of it. After many in
terviews, ill which belli parties lost their tem
per, the shrewd Sriitilinuiii finally oonsoulcd
to soil tho land, stipulating Dial his home
stead, which lie reserved, should not bo dis
turbed by any amiiigcincnl of streets in (lie
proposed city. Ills wishes wore obeyed; and
the cottage of Davy Burns stands to-day, tho
oldest house in Washington.
The plan designed bv Major L'Knfant for
tho building of tho city has made it a little
confusing to a stranger, hut it is,nevertheless,
the. grainiest upon which a city can la; con
structed. Starting with the system of regular
squares employed in Philadelphia and the up
per portion of Now York city ( i'liomas Joffor
s>n wanted this) Iho enthusiastic French
man superimposed upon them sixteen mag
nificent avenues, radiating from tlio Capitol
sh a common centre.
This arrangement lias made it possible io
utilize every lint oral advantage in the build
ing of both public and private structures. As
a icce.nt writer on architecture has said: “it
maybe doubted if any other city exhibits so
largo a number of inexpensive houses in which
thero is evident s serious ami intelligent search
for truer forms mid dot erin inn lion to banish
vulgar ornament, fiinisily stuck on, xml pain
ful to eve yoyo Mint studiously contemplates
it. This is accounted for by the presence of
thousands of government employees, living
upon salaries from which they cun save a little
cadi y.ar liy proper economy, and who are,
generally speaking*, persons of fair education
and considerable refinement. Tho new Wusli
ingto . a vividly red town, it is somewhat
difficult to account for tho almost invariidde
choice of deep red bricks for domestic build
ing; but- it is for winter a warm and cheerful
color, and in summer it is a pleasing back
ground for trees heavy with foliage and for
green lawns dotted with flowers. Tlic capital
will soon boa forest of large trees, inter
lacing their branches over many streets, and
giving glimpses only of Dm brick walls
through green-flamed and foliageil windows
and vistas.”
Among the ninny places of interest to ho
visited here it is not easy to select a subject
that shall prove aeceptal.lo to all readers; but
wo will assume that our tourist ims plenty of
time nl ids disposal ill which to visit tho more
important pulilic Buildings the Capitol,
White Douse, Tr usury, new State Building
(Die various departments), Smithsonian Insti
tute, Botanical Gardens, etc., and we will take
a look to-day at the War Department and tho
Army Medical Museum.
As an error in judgment upon the part of
Adjutant-Generai liritni and (’resident Cleve
land has aroused public interest in tin flags
captured from tin- Confederate forces during
the war. let us see these tattered trophies of a
“Lost Cause.” The Rebel flags taken in but
tle. and in surrender, and Dm tJnion flags, re
captured from the Confederates, now occupy
rooms in the war department, a- 1 are all un
der the supervision of the AuJii. ■it-Goneral.
A polite “orderly” is in waiting with a record
book, which gives tlic name and history of
every flag in tin building. The front room is
devoted to the L'nioti colors, the back room '
is filled with Confederate (lags. Here is tho
first Confederate flag adopted thirteen stars
on a blue field, with white and red bars, its
motto, “We w ill collect onrown revenues. We
choose our own institutions."
'J im colors of tlm Benjamin Infantry, organ
ized April !f4, IStil, bear tlm inscriptions,
“Grown f#r the Brave,*’ “(Strike for your Al
ters and your Fires.”
An Alabama flag, of white limiting with
cross-bars of blue, is inscribed: “Our Horae*,
our Rights, wi i ntrust to your keeping, brave
Bonn of A labatna.”
“Si/: Semper Tyrarwis," says a tattered
banner of fine silk, presented “by the ladies of
Norfolk to the N. L. A. Blues.’ 1 Again says
Virginia: “Our Bights we will maintain,"
“Death to Invaders revered with libssl”—
“Heath or Viet .ry’Yriod the Zachary Hangers,
sod again: “Twannv m hateful to the Gods."
The black flag, borne nt Winchester, with ita t
yellow stripe and fiendish sentence: “No j
Quarter,” must not be omitted frun tho list,
but spa*'c will not allow further enumeration.
Here they r st, torn and blo'sl-stained. A
quarter of a century lias passed since they
fluttered als.vo the marching bouts or caught
the dying soldier’s glance on many a hard
fought field. • Trt these silken fragments,
faded and moth-eaten, stir the heart strangely
to-day, and awaken painful memories of that
dark hour, when the nation's life beeanio (lie
Wager of the battle.
Tlic building in which Abraham Lincoln
was asuissinated will always retain an interest
for thr-American p< pie. It could not have
l«en nut to better ir-e than tha* of a repad- j
tory for the pathological ami surgical results '
of tls war.
In oiiedienee to an order from the War De
partment, issued in thousands of patho
logical Hlseimen.- had accumulated in tlm of
fice of the Burgeon-General. An ample and
tit r< ei jitacle was lie' di d for tlu-ir proper care
anil display; and April lit, lsK>7, ftwo years
from tbe date of the formation of the associa
tion,) Du- old lord Theatre was
Army Medical Museum, f’ongre A jiririlnis.il
the building of Mr. l ord; il Was made firii
pro' f and is now devoted exclusively to the
Us* - . f Die mils' uni.
it enjoys the distinction of being one of the
most interesting, but least visited of all the
national institutions in Washington. The
fust jmeirnen that confronts you on entering
the building, is a wiDierpd human arm, with
eontr; ted hand and rifnelie ! fingers. Tiic
ragged shaft of tin humer- s protrudes wber*
il was shot off. ii. ,r th. -boulder joint. The
skin J.s.ks like tanned bath r, and every mns
ele is defined. The story told of this arm is
Dial it was earn.-d away by a cannon-shot at
Ci* itvsbiirg. and lodge i in the branches of a
tr ' A year or iwo afterwards its owner, re
visiting the battle field, d:s -overed ins lost
member and brought it to the museum. No. ,
i.tPMi consists of thri <• human vertebra*, (
mounted on a stand; and beside them hangs a
glass phial, marked 1,067. The history in the
surgical records of tlm museum describes the
course of a colloidal carbine ball through these
cervical vertebra*, an I slates in concise medi
cal language that the phial contains a por
tion of tlm spinal cord from the same cervical
region; both specimens from a case where
death occurred a few hours after injury, April
20, WAS. These are the scientific records of
the death wounds of John Wilkes Booth, and
it is a strange fate that lias placed these re
minders of the murderer a few foot above the
spot whore lie shot down liis illustrious vic
tim.
On a black stand, boaring the imtnhrr l.Tto,
is a shattered bone with this statement: "The
rigid tihula and tilmla, comminuted in
three shafts by a round shell. Major General
Dan. K. Siofclea, IL S. Volunteers, Gettysburg,
July !i. Amputated in the lower third of the
thigh, by Surgeon T. Sinn. U. B. Vols., on tho
field. I’ontribnted by the subject.”
One of Dio cases is filled n ull skulls which
show wounds from arrow ‘mails and cuts from
tomahawks ami sabres. The skull of an
American Indian, killed by Chilian troops,
shows line satire ouls. Near it la Die skull of
another Indian with seven bullet holes, re
ceived from American troops or trappers.
There are Indian stows taken fioin the dead
bodies of our soldiers on tho plains. Tlic
arrow-heads arc made of bat rcl-hoopa, and
they are so sharp they can pierce any skull.
One is shown still sticking through Die shoul
der-blade of a buffalo. Tlm point of the
arrow is outside of Die bone, the arrow tip
having passed first through tlic body of the
beast. Another instance of tlio force with
which an arrow iH driven by an Indian how is
shown in a piece from the door of a stage.
The vehicle was attacked by Coiuanchos near
Bellas River, Texas, Kept, t, 1870. Tlio wood,
about an inch and a half thick, is pierced by
an arrow-head, Die point projecting some dis
tance beyond. Os the paasongi rs and guards
only two eaospfd One of Dm soldiers received
nil arrow in the head ami three gunshot flesh
wounds one in the arm, another in the log,
and one in llm breast. In tliis enndilion he
traveled one hundred and sixty miles across
the plains on foot. When 1m reached the post
hospital si Fort Concha, Texas, seven days
after tlm flgiit, lie was montally bright am)
clear, but on Hept. 19 be died. The skil lof
Ibis mail allows an arrow-bead firmly imbed
dial in Die petrous portion of the light tein
pond bom a wound of itself, it would seem,
sufficient to eauso instant death.
Tin re are many more objects of interen' in
tlm Museum. Dili here are sun ly enough her
rors for one letter; and the choice of snbji t
or our licit may bo in*ie for’iniatc.
Kai. Kmu ki kiio. si n.
THE FLY OF ’EIGHTY-SEVEN
How Ilf Differs from l lie Fliesi ol
Other Day*.
(From the Albany Argus.J
There is scrnitdliiiiff nlmiit a wiisp or u
hornet or ti bumble Lee that eoiuiiiiuitis
respect. You am walk along a lonely
country road itml when you see a nice
fat berry on u Imsh you step up with
tho intention of picking it. flight un
der that Imsh may lie n wasp’s nest, Imi
so long as yon don’t put vour foot in it
you aro safe. Tho minute your toe
touches that nest, you wish you were
several miles away. But when those
wasps have had their little disenssion
with you and finished it, they go away
and don't bother around at all waiting
for another cluinco to do you up. Nu
man living enn accuse any kind of a bee
with the crime of provoking an attack.
They don’t do it. When you attack
them they are always ready for ImsineHs,
but never did one commence operations
himself.
Not so with a fly. The fly of the cur
rent season differs from his forefathers
in physical make lip. The fly of some
seasons ago was made on another plan
altogether. He was manufactured on
the draught horse system, hig and heavy
and lazy. He might have been seen
buzzing Uji nnif down a window pane bv
the hour, butting his brains out and
turning all sorts of handsprings in n
slow, sedate manner that suggested
coming death. But when the window
pane exercise grew stale to him, he de
veloped his inuseulnr system by endear
oring to haul oft' a chunk of pie 4<K!
times bigger than he. The latter-day
fly is constructed on a very different
plan, as before remarked. He is a pacer,
ns a horseman would call him, small,
blithe, li*tle and full of energy. His
limbs are small and his eyesight good,
and the amount of pure, unadulterated
eussedness in his composition iH posi
tively alarming.
He is constantly in motion, always
eatipg and drinking. In fact, tlio
amount, of appetite for drink in thic
year's fly ie largely disproportionate to
the size of the little devil. His bump
of inquisitiveness protrudes fearfully.
The only thing on the mind of ’B7V. (ly
is how to carry around that burn]) of in
quisitivenesa. He has seen almost the
entire world already, having been in
motion since April Fool’s Day, but only
the outside of things. Now, having
gone over the outside of almost every
thing, he lias commenced at the start
ing point and is “doing” the inside of
things. Ink Littles, beer glasses, hilt
ter dishes, paste pots and milk mips
seem to (Kisses* a never ending variety
for him, a fund of unexplored country.
Men who have tried it frequently say
they cannot gc a glass of beer down any
longer without swallowing from title to
six flies.
In tin* stilly night time, when former
ly the fly put. iri his three hours’ sleep
ing, this year's fly explores the inside of
your ear, and studies anatomy by
erawling under tlio single cover over
your person.
The unveiling of the statue of Cuau
hotoinoc, the last of the Aztec em
perors in the city of Mexico, was the Oc
eanian of unusual interest and signifi
cance. Very few Mexicans of Hjianish
descent were present, but thousands of
Indians, many of whom came from miles
around the capital, bringing with them
great quantities of flowers, attended the
ceremony. When I’reiident Diaz un
veilcd the statue, the spectators cast flow
ers upon the pedcstral in such profusion
ns to almost hide it. The event shows
that the Indians cherish the memories of
their ancestors’ patriotic struggles against
the Spaniards at the time of the conquest
An a'ldress in the Aztec language was
delivered by Francesco Del I’a/.a,
VOL. 11. NO. 29.
TIIK LIME-KILN CLUB.
The Good lionl l» Willing to For
give Human Nature.
[From the Detroit Free Press.]
“One ting ilnt. convinces mo <lo Lawd
am a pood Ltiwd,” said Brother Gard
ner oh the meeting opened, “nr' do way
He puts up with humnn nntur'. One
Ims only to put on his hat an’ take a
walk armin' do block to convince hisself
dat. if we had any other Lawd 'oept do
one we’ve got dar’ would be a powerful
Blinkin' tip of dis airtli ebery day in the
week an' twice on Sunday.
“l ills' week Pickles Smith went off
fishing.' He had no bizness to rensou
dat he'd ebon git a bite, but he just sot
down an' figgered dat he’d bring home
six tons of bass ini' pickerel, lie went,
an’ lie fished, an' ho bobbed, an’ he unit
on his bait, an' he notched one lecdlo
sun buss about as bigasa two cent piece.
He cum home mild as a wet hen, an' do
way lie took on an’ skipped Thursday
evenin' pray’r mootin’ wasn’.f ;l to li'ar.
l)e sack dat he hasn't been jerked outer
his botes an' tied up in fo’ hard knots
proves how willin' do Lawd ar' to gin
human nalur' amslcr chance.
“A few days ngo Trustee Pullback
drawed $25 outer debunk—his savings
fur do last ten y’rs an’ purchased him
a mule. He calkerlated that mule was
worf $75, an' dat he had made do biggest
kind of a bargain. He slapped hisself
on do leg an’ chuckled, an’ lie went to
pray’r mootin' an' sung till lie could lie
heard a mile, but. arter fo’ days he went
out to do ba’n an’ found dat mule stone
dead. Den what happened? He sulked
an' ripped, an’ cussed, an' he declar'd
dat de Lawd was agin him. De Lawd
was all right us long as Pickle was
milkin' SSO, but. all wrong when he was
losin’ $25. He am heah to-night an’
still alive an' in good health, which ar'
proo agin dat de Lawd forgives ninety
an' nine times, an' realizes the weakness
of human nntur’ I
“I war' pas-in’ n saloon de odder day
in which war' seism or eight drunken
■ ■ n. I>i ink war' milkin' beasts of ’em.
>rink war' tukin bread from ile’ moiifs
•it doir oliiU'en. Drink war' soakin’up
leir bin ns, bluntin’deir manhood an’
lullin' ebery sentiment of goodness in
.mil heart!'. If I had been de Lswd I
shoe Id liev brimg about nn exploshnn
•11 lilt dat hull bizness sky-high, an’ to
lie\ sent de saloon keeper about a mile
higher dan anybody else, but dat saloon
am dar’ yit, an’ de same crowd kin be
found dar’ any day, an’ dat’s proof of
sicli forbearance an' liberality as we kin
skoerccly comprehend.
“If I should sot out to be an infidel 1
should stop short iis I looked at. the sun
an’ moon at de mountains an’ valleys
—at de brooks an’forest -each one a
pro. if of do power of nil infinite Itein’.
If I should sot, out to deny de Lawd, I
wouldn't hev to go a block to find plenty
of proofs dat He not only exists an’
rules an’ m present will us, but dat His
gentleness an’ fnrgivin’ disposishun ar’
all dat stands between us an’ sich a rat
tlin’ of dry bones ss would keep deli ar
on earn! from Sunday nmwuin’ to Satur
day night.”
The Uortm and the Mouse.
I was visiting at a friend’s house in
Calcutta, and was on this evening sitting
at dinner alone. The table had been
some time waiting for the host, and I
hud at last, received a note that he was
not coming home, so I sat down alone.
I had finished dinner and was still lin
gering at the table, when a little mouse
ran up on the top of a lsiwl with a sort
of basket work cover on it. I should
not have thought that of itself very sin
gular, for the “tribes on our frontier”
nutde most unexpected incursions. But
when lie did get perched on the cover of
the howl, the little fellow rose upon his
hind legs, with his hands Ijefore him,
and liegim to entertain me with the fun
niest little mouse song you can im
agne. “Chit chit, cheep-clicep-chit,”
lie whistled, and kept it up before mo
in a most unembarrassed arid self pos
mxl,little way. I must have b r'm a try
ing audience, for I leant back ui my
chair and roared with laughter. As I
looked at the little performer I grad
ually became aware of a shadow, a some
thing strange gliding out from liehind a
dish toward the mouse. Silently anil
slowly it neared the mouse, in another
minute a Ijeady snake’s eye glittered in
the lamplight.
My hand stole softly for the carving
knife. The snake reared his head level
with the mouse, and the |ioor little fel
low's song, which hud never censed, l>e
camo piercingly shrill though he sat up
rigidlv erect anil motionless. The
head of the snake drew back a little to
strike. Out flashed the carving knife.
The spell was broken instantly, for the
uioifsu dropped and scampered. The
snake was wounded for there were spots
of blood on the tablecloth, ami it was
writhing alsmt among the dishes and
plates. I could not make a bold stroke
at any part of it for fear of breaking the
crockery, and whenever I made a dig
with the point it was like pricking the
garter. I would not have believed, un
til I had seen it, how much of himself
a snake can stow awuv under the edge
of a plate. At last I saw the edge of
his tail projecting out from under a
dish. A snake held by the tail and
swung rapidly round cannot turn hack
and bite. I grablied the tail with my
left thumb and finger, and drew him
out until I judged the middle of his
Ixsly to lie under the knife; then I came
down and cut him in two. He whs an
other cobra—a little ono alxmt two feet
long, but quite long enough to “grav
el” a man.
Mrs. Mary Clement Leavitt writes that nl
the American missions in Burmah havj in
corporated total abstinence in their work.