Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

THE laiuicr -^esgcttger* PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY -by jBk.. EID&iAIl NI25:. According to the official year book of the Church of England, which has recently been published, tho voluntary offering for church building by the people during the last flvo years has amounted to about $25,000,000. This does not include the sum expended for mission work. The vinmese paper currency is m red, white and yellow paper, with gilt lettering and gorgeous liapd drawn devices. The bills, to the ordi¬ nary financier, might pass for wash¬ ing bills, but they are worth good money in the Flowery Kingdom. The witnesses for the defence in a libel suit at Montreal, Canada, testi¬ fied that so high did the character of the plaintiff stand it was impossible to libel him. No one would believe his traducers, and hence his business standing could not suffer. On this ground the jury returned a verdict for the defendant. The newest envelope in Europe is devised with sufficient cloveruess to make ns wonder, observes the New Orleans Picayune, that any one but an American should have thought of It. The flap is squrely cut ofl at the end and folds down so as to gum itself close to the bottom of the envelope. It is creased above the line of gum and when the top of the envelope is torn or cut open the flap falls down and displays an advertisement that has been printed on the under side. The persecution of the Jews in Rus¬ sia will largely increase the Hebrew population of the United States, pre¬ dicts the New York Recorder. One thousand families are about to settle }*P‘ 80,000 of land in on a tract of acres Caldwell County, North Carolina, wlycli has just been purchased for the colony. The settlement is to be mau aged on tjie plan of Vineland,and it is •aidVhat the exiles are all well-to-do farmers, who will bring to their new home habits of enterp’”sing industry. , The New York man who succeeded in moving a railroad car weighing 35,000 pounds is certainly worthy, ad¬ mits tll§ gan Franqscq Chronicle, of lie title of “the modern Ajax.” Of course there is much in the knowledge of how to utilize one’s strength in such a, feat, but |he fact that eight men failed to do what lie accomplished proves that he is a fellow who should have lived in mediaeval times, when physical prowess was the stepping stone to wealth and honor. Nowadays it means nothing more than a preca rious living as a dime museum freak. Maxim, the inventor of the cele¬ brated gun which bears his name, now announces he has reason to be¬ lieve from experiments made by him that he has solved the problem of aeri¬ al transportation. He expects soon to construct a flying machine of silk, to be driven by steam, that will have a speed of 100 miles an hour, aud he makes what Beems to the New York News to be a wild suggestion, that in time of war explosives may be dropped over an enemy’s position with destructive effect. “Fancy a fleet * of these monstors of the air coming together a mile or two above terra firms and engaging in mortal com¬ bat!” exclaims the News. “We have practically no army,” as¬ serts the New York Tribune. “Gradu¬ ates from West Point come out to see an endless line of officers before them, who are at almost a standstill, and it is no wonder that when they look far up the line they ask themselves if there is any hope of getting near the top before they have outlived their usefulness. The European armies are so immense that a better field is of fered, though to ambitious young men promotion even there must seem slow of peace. But the constant additions to the armies of great mili¬ tary powers make* room for new¬ comers. France, Germany and Rus¬ sia, far from reducing tlieir forces, seem to be straining every nerve to in¬ crease them.” REV. DR. TALMAGE THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN¬ DAY SERMON. subject: the vacant chair. Text: "Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty."—! Samuel xx.. 18. Set on the table the cutlery and the chased silverware of the palace, for King Saul will give place a state dinner to-day. A distinguished celebrated is kept at the table David for his son-in-law, a warrior, byname. in The take guests, their Jeweled places. and When plumed, people coma invited and are to a king’s banquet they are very apt to go. But before the covers are lifted from the feast Saul looks around and finds a vacant seat at the table. He says withjn himself, perhaps audibly, “What does this mean? Where is my son-in-law? Where is David, the great war rior? I invited him. I expected him. What! a vacant chair at the king’s banquet!” The fact was that David, the warrior, had been seated for the last time at his father in-law’s table. The day before Jonathan had coaxed David to go and occupy that place at the table, saying to David'in the words of my text, “Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.” The pre¬ diction was fulfilled. David was missed. His seat was empty. That one vacant chair the spoke louder than aii the occupied chairs at In almost every house the articles of fur¬ niture take a living personalitv. That picture—a stranger would not see anything remarkable either in its design or execution, but it is more to yoirthan all the pictures of the Louvre and the Luxembourg. You re¬ member who bought it, and who admired it. And that hymn book—you remem¬ ber who sang out of it. And that cradle—you that Bible—you remember who rocked it. And remember who read outof it. And that bed—you remember who who slept in it. And that room—you remember died in it. But there is nothing in all your bouse so eloquent and so mighty voiced as the vacant chair. I suppose that before haul and his guests got up from this banquet there was a great clatter of wine pitchers, but all that racket was drowned out by the voice that came up from the vacant chair at the table. Millions have gazed and wept at John Quincy Adams’s vacant chair in the house of representatives, chair in the vice-presidency, and at Wilson’s vacant and at Henrv and Clay’s vacant Prince chair in the American senate, at Albert’s vacant chair in Wind¬ sor castle, and at Thiers’ vacant chair in the councils of the French nation. But all these chairs are unimportant to you as compared with the vacant chairs in your own household. Have these chairs any lesson for us to learn? Are we any better men end women than when they first addressed us? First I point out to you the father’s va¬ cant chair. Old men always like to sit m the same place and in the same chair. They times somehow feel more at home, and some¬ when you are in their place and they come into the room you jump up sud¬ denly chair,” and The say, “Hex - e. father, here’s your chair, for he probability is is it is an arm and he needs not so little strong upholding. as he ones His was, a hair is a little frosty, his gums a little de¬ pressed, for in his earl y days there was not much dentistry. Perhaps a cane chair and old fashioned apparel, for though you may have suggested some improvement, father doesnot want any of your nonsense. Grand¬ father never had much admiration for new tangled I notions. the table of of parishion¬ sat at one my ers in a former congregation; an aged man was at the table, and the son was presiding, and the father somewhat abruptly addressed the son and said, “My sou, don’t try now to show off because the minister is here!" Your father never liked any new customs or manners, he preferred the old way of doing happy things, when and with he his never closed, looked he sat so as eyes in the armchair in the corner. From the wrinkled brow to the tip of the slippery I what his placldlfy! The WaV6 tbe foot of the of that past chair. years of life broke at Perhaps tient, and sometimes sometimes he told was the a little impa¬ same story twice; but over that old chair how many blesseff memories hover! I hope you did not crowd that old chair, and that it did not get very much in old the way. Sometimes the man’s chair gets very much in the way, especially if ha has been so unwise as to make over all his property to his children, with the understanding tl hat they are to take care of him. I have seen in such cases children crowd the old man’s chair to the door, and then crowd it clear into the street, and then crowd it into tbe poor house, and keep on crowding it until the old man fell out of it into his grave. But your father’s chair was a sacred place. The children used to climb up on the ruugs of it for a good night kiss, and the But longer that he stayed the better you liked it. chair has been vacant now for some time. The furniture dealer would not give you fifty cents for it, but it is a throne of influ¬ ence in your domestic circle. 1 saw in the French palace, and in the throne room, the chair that beautiful Napoleon chair, used but to the occupy. mosi It was a significant part of it was the letter “8” embroidered into the back of the chair in purple and gold. And your father's old chair sits in the throne room of your heart, and your affections have embroided into tire back of that old chair allRthe in purple aud gold that the letter- “F.” Have prayers of old chair been answered? Have all the counsels of that old chair been practiced? Speak out! old armchair. History tells us of an old man whose t ires sons were they victors back in the these Olympic games, with and when came three sons, their garlands,put them on the father’s brow, and the old man was so rejoiced at the vic¬ tories of his three children that he fell dead in their arms. And are you, oh man, going to and bring a wreath it of joy father’s and Christian usefulnes put chair, on your the brow, or on the vacant or on memory of the one departed? Speak out, old armchair! With reference to your father, the words of my text have been fulfilled, “Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty." I go a little further on in your house and I find the mother’s chair. It is very apt to le a rocking chair. She had so many cares and troubles to soothe that it must have rockers. I remember it well; it was an old chair, and the rockers were almost worn out, for I was the youngest, and the chair had rocked the whole family. It made a creaking noise as it moved; but there was music in the sound. It was just high heads enough into her- to allow lap. us That children to put out was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and wor¬ ries. Ah 1 what a chair that was. It was different from the father’s chairs it was en¬ tirely tell; different. but all You felt ask it me how? I can¬ not we was different. gentleness, Perhaps there was tenderness, about this chair more had more done When more grief when we wrong. we were It wayward father scolded, but mother cried. was a very wakeful chair. In the sick days of children other chairs could kept awake—kept not keep awake; easily that awake. chair always The chair knew all the old lullabies and all those wordless songs which mothers sin g to th n * sick children—songs in su e i all pity an 1 compassion combined. nnd sympathetic influence are That otd chair has stopped rocking for a goo 1 many years. It may he sat up.ni the loft or the garret, but it holds a queenly power yet. When at midnight you went into that grog shop to get the intoxicating draught, dij you not bear a voice that s iid, “My son, why go in there?” Aud louder of than the boisterous encore of t e placi sinful amusement, a voici saying, “Mv son, what do you do here?” Aud when you went into the house of abandonment, a voice saying, “What would your mother do if she knew you wero here?” And you were provoked with yourself, and nnd you charged yourself with superstition fa naticism aud your head got hot with your awn thought*, to and and y ou went home had and you touched went bed, no sooner “WhatI you the bed tnan a voice said: a prayerles-i pillow? Man! what is the matter?” This. You are too roar your mother’s rocking-chair. “Oh, pshaw!” you say. “There’s nothing in that. I’m five hundred miles off from where I was born. I’m three hundred miles off from the church whose bell was the first music I ever heard.” I cannot help that. You are too near your mother’s rocking chair. “Oh,” you say. “there can’t be anything in that, That chair has been vacant a great while.” I cannot It help is that. It is all the mightier for that. omnipotent, that vacant mother er’s chair. It whispers, it speaks, it weeps, it carols, it mourns, it prays, it warns, it thunders. A young man went off and broke his mother’s heart, ami while ha was away from home his mother died, and the telegraph brought the son, and ho came into the room where she lay and looked upon her face, and he cried out: “Oh, mother, mother, wnat your life could not do your death shall effect! This moment I give my heart to God.” And he kept his prom¬ chair. ise. Another victory for the vacant With reference to your mother the words of my text were fulfilled, ‘Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be 1 empty.” I go on a little further, and coma to the invalid’s chair. What! How ion? have you been sick? ‘.‘Oh! I have been sick ten.twenty, thirty years.” Is it possible? What a story of endurance. There are in many of the families of my congregation these invalids’ chairs. The occupants of them think they are doing no good in the world, but that in¬ valid’s chair is the mighty pulpit from which they have been preach¬ ing, all these years, trust in God. The first time I preached here at Lakeside, Ohio, amid the throngs present, there was nothing that so much impressed me as the invalid spectacle who of just one face—the face of an was wheeled in on her chair. I said to her afterward: “Madam, how long have you been prostrated?” for she was lying flat m the chair. “Oh!” she replied. “I have been this way fifteen years.” I said, “Do you suffer very much?” ‘Oh, yes, she said, “I suffer very much; I suffer all the time; part of the time I was blind. I always suffer." “Well,” I said “can you keep your courage up?” “Oj, yes, she said, “I am happy, very happy indeed. Her face showed it. She looked the happiest or any one on the ground. of * to the world, Oh. what a means grace these invalid chairs. On that field of hu¬ victory. man suffering Edward the grace of God gets its and Richard Baxter, Payson, the the invalid, Robert Hall, the invalid, and invalid, the and ten thou¬ sand of Whom the world has never heard, but of whom all heaven is cognizant. The most conspicuous thing on earth for God’s eye and the eye of angels to rest on, is not a thron^f earthly power, but it is the in¬ valid’s chair. Oh. these men and women who are always suffering, but never com¬ plaining—these neuralgic victims of spinal disease, and torture, and rheumatic ex. cruciation will answer to the roll call of the martyrs, and rise to the martyr’s throne, and will wave the martyr’s palm. But when one of these invalids chairs be¬ comes vacant how suggestive it is! No more changing bolstering up of the weary head. No more from side to side to get an easy position. No more use of the bandage and the cataplasm and the prescription. That invalid chair may be folded up or taken apart, or sat away, but it will never lose its queenly power, it will always preach of trust iu Go! and cheerful submis¬ sion. Suffering all ended now. With re¬ spect have to that invalid the words shaft of my text been fulfilled, “Thou be missed, because thy seat will be empty. I pass on and find one more vacant chair. It is a high chair. It is the child’s chair. If that chair be occupied I think it is the most potent chair in all the household, All tbe chairs wait on it; all the chairs are turned toward it. It means more than David’s chair at Saul’s banquet. At any rate it makes more racket. That is a strange house that cau b9 dull with a child in it. How that child breaks up the hard worldliness of tho place and keeps you young If to sixty, seventy and child eighty years of age. you have no of your own adopt one; it will open heaven to your soul. It will pay its way. Its crowing iu tbe morning will give the day a cheerful starting, and its glee at night will give the day a cheerful close. You do not like chii-. dren? Then you had better stay out of heaven, for there are so many there they would five hundred fairly make yon crazy. of them. Only The about old millions crusty Pharisees tol l the Christ. mothers “You to keep the children away from bother Him,” they said; “you trouble the Master.” Trouble Him'! He' has filled heaven with that kind of trouble. A pioneer in California says that for the first year or two after his residence in Sierra Nevada county there was not a single child in all the reach of a hundred miles. But the Fourth of July came, and the they miners celebrating were gathered the Fourth together with and were ora¬ tion and poem and a boisterous brass baud, and while the band was playing an infant’s voice was heard crying, and all tbe miners were startled, and the swarthy the men began to think of their homes on eastern coast, and of their wives and children far away, and their hearts were thrilled with home¬ sickness as they heard the babe cry. But the music went on, and the child cried louder and louder, and the brass band played louder and louder, trying to drown out the infantile interruption, rolling when a swarthy miner, the tears down his face, got up and shook his fist and said, “Stop that noisy band, and give the baby a chance,” Ob, there was pathos in it, as well as good cheer in it. There is nothing to arouse and melt and subdue the soul like a child’s voice. But when it goes away from you the high chair becomes a higher chair and there is desolation all about you. the homes of this In three-fourths of con¬ gregation there is a vacant it. _ high There chair. Somehow you never get over is no one to put to bed at night; God no and one to ask strange questions about heaven. Ob, what is the use of that high chair? It is to call you higher. What in a heaven drawing I And up¬ ward it is to have children then it is such a preventive against Bin. If a father is going away into siu he leaves his living children with their mother; but if a father is going away into sin what is be going to do with his dead children float¬ ing about him and hovering over his every wayward step. Oh, speak out, vacant from high chair, and say: “Father, come back Mu; mother, count bac.c trout wormiins.v'. i mu watching; you. 1. am waiting for you VVith respect to yourc'iil 1 two rvoras ol my text have been fulfilled, ‘Thou shalt be missed, thy seat will be empty. ’ because Mv hearers, I have gathered and tried up the to intone voices of your departs 1 friends I i:i them mto one invitation upward s;t ar¬ ray nil the vacant chairs of your homes and of your social circle, and I bid them cry out this inormnc: “Tima is short. Eternity is near. Take my Saviour. Be at peso with my God. Cow up where I am. We lived together on earth; come )et us live together in heaven/’ Wo enswer that invitation. We#>me. IVe *>me. Keep Keep a a seat seat for for u*, u--, ns Saul kept a seat for Davto, but that seat , shall not be empty. Aud oh! when wo are all through with this world, and wo have shaken hands a'l aroun.l for the last time, ana all our chairs in the homo circle and m the outside world shall be vacant, may which we be worshiping God in that place from we shall go out no more forever. I thank God there will be no vacant chairs in heaven. There we shall heart-breaks. meet again How and much talk over our have earthly been through since Sri•ft.taLSTChS! you you saw .. liness. The sleepless nights. The weeping until you had no more power to weep, be cause the heart was withered and drisd up Story of empy cradle and a little shoe only half worn out never to bo worn again, just the shape of the foot that once pressed it. And dreams when you thought the departed had bright com3 back again, and the room seemed with their j aces, and you started up to greet them and m tire effort the dream broke and you found yourself standing amid room in the midnight—alone. Talking it ail over, and then, hand ill hand, walking up and down in the heaven! light. No beautiful sorrow, heaven! no tears, Heaven no death. where Oh, friends our are. Heaven where we expect to be. In the east they take a cage of birds and bring it to : the tomb of the dead, and then they open the door of the cage, aud the birds, flying out, sing. And I would to-day bring a cage of Christian consolations to the grave of your loved ones, and I would open the door and let them fill all the air with the music of their voices. Oh, how they bound Some in these with spirits gladness. be¬ fore the throne! shout Some break forth into uncontrollable weep¬ ing for joy. Some stand speechless in their shock of delight. They sing. They They quiver the with excessive gladness. gaze on temples, on the palaces, on the waters, on each other. They weave their joy into gar¬ lands, they spring it into triumphal arches, they strike in on timbrels, and then all the love! ones gather in a great circle around the throne of God—fa¬ thers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, lovers and friends, hand to hand around about the throne of God—the circle jubilee ever widening—hand to jubilee, victory to han to victory, I, joy to “until joy, the day break and the shadows flee away. Turn thou, my beloved, and be like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Beth- WEATHER AND CROPS. The Outlook as Reported for Past Week. The weather bureau’s weekly crop bul¬ letin for week ended July 18, says: The week has been cool in all districts east of the Rocky mountains, except in New England, New York and southern Texas, where a normal temperature has pre¬ vailed. Condition of crop? in the various sections are as follows: Alabama—Farming interests in excel¬ lent condition; crops doing well in most suf¬ sections; cottoa in a few localities is fering from disease. Mississippi—Heavy shower’s at a few places in the central part of the state, elsewhere none, or very light; favorable weather for cultivation and growth of cotton and corn. Virginia—Low temperature and de¬ ficiency in rainfall, injurious to corn; tobacco promising. conditions Arkansas—General weather favorable, although the rain was badiy distributed, particularly in the eastern portion of the state; col ton somewhat retarded by cool weather; corn excellent and the crop assured; fruit will be an average crop. North Carolina—Heavy rain in some portions and of tbe state, generally which favorable to corn tobacco, shows a slight and imp: cloudy; ovement, but weather too cool cotton is at a stand¬ still. South Carolina—Cool, dry weather, unfavorable to cotton and corn. The drought continues in tome portions of the state. Louisiana—Rainfall deficient, but ben¬ eficial; the corn crop is made and the yield promising, co'.ton is fiuiting well, cane growing luxuriantly. The laying by of stubble cane is nearly completed; early rice heading; crops somewhat grassy; all repons favorable. Texas—Waim and dry weather have injured cotton in west and southwest Texas; in other portion# good showers have great'y benefited the crop, which promises a heavy yield. The corn crop is below the average. Tennessee—Wheat mostly threshed; in good condition and fine yield. Cottoa blooming late; bad stands and prospect poor. Core and tobacco doing well. Oats but half a crop. Hay crop large and fine. IN SESSION AT TORONTO. Convention of the National Ed¬ ucational Association. The annual convention of the National Educational Association of the United States formally opened Tuesday after¬ noon at Toronto, Ont., in the presence of about six thousand persons. Rev. G. N. Grant, principal of Queen’s university, Kingston, behalf welcomed the delegates on of Canada, takinsr the late Sir John Macdonald’s place. Other Cana¬ dians also delivered welcoming addresses. Short responses were made by Hon. W. T. Ha».js, District of Columbia, commis¬ sioner of education for the United States; Professor W. H. Bartholomew, of Ken¬ tucky, for the south central states; State Superintendent John E. Massey, of Vir¬ ginia, Palmer, for the southeast; Hon. Solomon of Alabama, for the gulf states; Hon. Joseph H. Shinn, of Arkansas, president of the Southern Educational Association, for the south, and others. THE WAR IS ON! MINERS CAPTURE BOTH SOL¬ DIERS AND CONVICTS. The Situation Assuming- a Se¬ rious Phase. A Knoxville telegram sap: The nisis came at Briceville Monday about 11 o’clock, when the miners and a crowd of sympathizer fr. m the contiguous country militia surrounded the camp of the state and captured the troops and convicts, marched them off to the depot, and put them on a train and shipped them to Knoxville. li:tie knoll The camp was on a in a, hollow, and surrounded on all sides by mountains. The miners and thiir teen hundred, were divided into lorn equal squads, and approach" which a the on the f lUr t jde6 of the square camp formed “ ; D- T he miners sent J up a flag of , truce, and , sent * u’ a com i it tee to the officers in command. 1 he committee notified the officers that they had come to take the convicts; “Peaceably, if potsi b]e (j y J f 0IC e, ’ if necessary.” THE BOYS SURRENDER. The officers parleyed awhile, and then agreed to surrender. The troops were allowed to keep their arms and ammuni¬ tion, nnd then tho troops and convicts were inarched to the traiD. There they were loaded in box cars, or whatever could be had, and the entire lot were sent to the city. The troops to the num¬ ber of 107, all told, went to the armory of tbe Knoxville Rifles, where they now remain awaiting the orders of the gover nor. The miners made them promise not to return to Coal Creek. The conviets were taken to the jail, locked up«nd fed. An immense crowd met the troops at the depot. They were freely cheered as they marched through nearly the streets. five days The men had been on duty in the rain, and bad seen but litile in the way of provisions, and but little equip¬ ment. Their faces were bronzed, but they presented a soldierly appearnice as they marched up the street. The city is now intensely excited. The leaders of all political parties say celebrated the law its must be upheld. The mob victory by cheering, carousing and shooting, anotheu move by the miners. Immediately after tbe release of the convicts at Briceville mines and the troops and convicts had been placed on the train, the mob wont to the mines of the Knoxville Iron Company, surrounded the victs stockade there, with and the captured guards. the They 125 con¬ also were shipped away to Knoxville. THE NEWS IN NASHVILLE. A Nashville dispatch say3: Monday’s developments in the mining troubles at Briceville have caused all the immediately available military in the state to he called out by Governor Buchanan, and not less than fourteen companies of the national guard, well armed and equipped, are Scurrying towaid the scene by special trains. A HALT ORDERED. A later telegram says: Governor Buch¬ anan has ordered the militii to wait at Knoxville, pending further instructions. This is done because he desires to have Attorney General Pickel’s opinion as to his authority to quell the troubles inde¬ pendent of the Anderson county offi¬ cials. A FIEND INCARNATE. Horrible Murder of a Young Lady by a Rejected Suitor. A dispatch from Hanover, N. II., says: As Miss Cristie Warden, accompanied by her mother, her sister, Fannie, aud Louise Goode’, was returning on foot to their home, located one mile from the village, at a late hour Saturday night, Frank Almy, about thirty years of age, jumped into the road in front of them, and seiz¬ ing Christie by the arm, said; “I want you!” Tbe mother and a ter attempted to defend her. Almy fired at them, but missed. They ran for assistance. Then Almy dragged his victim into the bushes from tbe road and shot her twice through the head, one shot tearing out her left eye. When help arrived, the girl w s dead, and her body was stripped of nearly every article of clothing. Almy had fled. Miss Warden was a beautiful and most estimable young womau about twenty five years old, a graduate of the state normal school, aud a popular teacher. Almy was a former employe of her father, bad and his attention to Miss Christie been repulsed. The town of Hanover offers $500 reward, and Miss Warden’s father offers $500 for the murderer. WARDER SUICIDES In a Fit of Melancholia Puts a Bullet in His Brain. A. A Warder Chatanoog* suicided dispatch Tuesday says: night Judge by J. shooting tince himself through the brain, the death of his son in-law, the re¬ sult of a family quarrel, in which his sou-in-law, Simpson Fugette, was shot and killed, Judge Warder’s daughter wounded, nnd he himself seriously hurt, he has been attacked with melancholia, and his mind has been in a very unset¬ tled condition. Since his release from confinement on account of his wound he has been residing on Lookout Mountain with his wife and mother. Tuesday, upon the advice of his mother, he went to the city in order to be relieved of the monotony known of rural life. By some un¬ in means he secured a pistol Chattanooga. the revolver Returning his home, he placed the to temple and fired, ball entering his brain and causing death in about two houpi.