WHEN Christ is to be proclaimed by preaching or worshiped in song, the auditors are quick to discern whether the preacher or singer is putting soul or self into the service which he renders. The good effect of the very best sermon is sure to be vitiated if even in one's own mind self is allowed to become prominent. It is a great offense for the servant to thrust himself before his Lord, and people are quick to discern and resent the wrong. If the speaker thinks of himself, is anxious about the estimate which will be set upon his effort, the esteem in which he is to be held, it will be impossible for him long to conceal his thought from the recognition of even the general public. Self is offensive in any public249speaker, especially in a minister of the gospel.
That which makes our greatest preachers and singers preëminent to-day is their ability wholly to put their souls into their service. The patient people will excuse other faults, but they imperatively demand, in those who sing or preach, that quality which they speak of as the influence "which comes from the heart and goes to the heart."
That which we as ministers most need to-day is the baptism of fire which will help us to forget self.
What is true in this respect of the preacher and the singer is also true of the Sunday school teacher and the Christian worker everywhere. In all our teaching and in all our work we need to drop self.
This is needed by all our people. How many of our congregations are rent asunder or broken into factions because of the selfishness of those who should forget self-interests for the prosperity of the common cause and the good of all? A baptism of unselfishness is to-day needed by the pew as well as the choir and the pulpit.—Lutheran Observer.
"IN THIS ENLIGHTENED AGE."
THE San Francisco Examiner of the 4th inst. has the following description of a superstitious ceremony in that city:—
A spectacle that is not often witnessed in Catholic Churches was presented last evening in the ceremonies at St. Ignatius’ Church on Hayes Street. Thousands of persons were present, thronging the large interior from sanctuary to vestibule.
They were there from all parts of the city, as the observances of this occasion are not held in other churches except St. Ignatius. It was the commemoration of the feast day of St. Blase, whose intercession is asked to bless throats of believers every year at altar rails.
The services began last evening with exposition of the sacrament before an immense congregation of devout worshipers. The grand altar glittered with a blaze of wax lights from candelabra and stands about the altar. Meanwhile a priest led the congregation in the rosary, and the responses sounded as a solemn chant in reply. A sermon was preached on the saint and the practice about to be observed with due solemnity.
At the close solemn benediction of the blessed sacrament was held. It was the same as on similar occasions, or Sunday evenings, but afterward the ceremony of blessing throats took place.
The crowds arranged themselves in order, and proceeded to the sanctuary railing, where they waited for the gift conferred by a priest. Six fathers of the Society of Jesus stood inside the rail and pronounced the blessing, each upon one person at a time. The ceremony was very simple, nothing more than the recital of a prayer: “By the intercession of St. Blase, bishop and martyr, may God deliver thee from throat diseases and every other evil, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
For more than one hour the people who were thus blessed continued to pass by the sanctuary in an unbroken procession. About three thousand of them knelt before the officiating priests, and then filed slowly out of the church, which was not empty till long after 9 o’clock at night.
St. Blase, one of the early Christian martyrs, was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, and when persecuted by Emperor Diocletian, he sought refuge in a cave distant from the city. While a refugee he performed many wonderful cures, among them being that of a boy who had a bone in his throat. The practice of blessing throats in his name originated from this remarkable incident.
Sense and Humility
By William Penn
SENSE shines with a double luster when it is set in humility. An able yet humble man is a jewel worth a kingdom.—Penn.
SINS OF IGNORANCE.
By Mrs. M. E. Steward
BY MRS. M. E. STEWARD.
How NATURAL it is to excuse a fault with, "I thought it was right." Why did I make such a mistake? and is there no remedy? Does the Lord, as some believe, give us right motives, perfect love, and new hearts, and withhold wisdom and a knowledge of right and wrong? What, then, does he mean when he says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge"? If lack of knowledge causes destruction, ignorance must be sin. In olden times a sin of ignorance was not passed by as of no consequence; when known, a sin offering must be brought, and an atonement be made for it. Leviticus 4. Here is a lesson for our consideration.
But must we keep on sinning and repenting for lack of knowledge?—No, no; there is something better for the child of God. Says Paul in 1 Cor. 1: 30: "Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." When claiming God’s promise to create in us a new heart, let us believe that it means not only righteousness but wisdom to do righteousness.
Says Isa. 48: 17: "Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go." The Lord desires to teach and to lead us from the beginning of a course of action to its end, and that we shall know it is right from the start. Paul, or the Holy Spirit rather, desired that Christians "might be filled with the knowledge of his [God’s] will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" (Col. 1: 9), and the Testimony says that God never desired this more than now.
The result of this knowledge is that we "might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Where in such a case is there room for sins of ignorance? When a vessel is full, it can hold no more; but should the vessel enlarge, it gives a chance for increase of its contents. As one does the will of God, his heart expands, and his knowledge of God increases; he is always filled with the knowledge of his will, and there is no room for sins of ignorance.
The divine plan is that the entire renewal of the man from first to last is to be "in knowledge after the image of Him that created him." Col. 3: 10. So essential is it that Isaiah says, referring particularly to the last days, "Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation." To the extent that Christ is our wisdom and righteousness do we avoid sins of ignorance. Oh, how blessed to never have occasion to cry in bitterness, "If I had only been nearer to the Lord, I would have known it was wrong, or unwise, and not have made such a mistake"! God grant us all not a mere "form of knowledge and of the truth," but "the power thereof."
ENCOURAGING THE PEOPLE.
FIFTEEN years after the Jews returned from Babylon to begin work on the temple, it was in much the same condition as when the joyous services were held at the laying of the foundation stones. The people made themselves believe they had good reasons for discouragement. It is easy to decide that it is excusable, or even better, not to do a thing you do not wish to do.
The neighboring inhabitants of Palestine tried to hinder their work. They even wrote to the reigning king of Persia, who was quite a different man from Cyrus, representing the Jews as such rebellious people that he sent an order for them to discontinue the work. The king's command seems like an excellent reason; indeed, at first it appears to make it impossible for them to go on, and the Jews considered it an indication that God did not wish them to build the temple then. Be careful not to take opposing circumstances as a sure sign from God that you are to relinquish an unpleasant undertaking. He does not always make the path of duty smooth. Use the mind and judgment he has given you; ask him for guidance; try to be willing and glad to do whatever he would like, notwithstanding difficulties; consider what you would think it right for another person to do in your place, and especially what in God's sight would be best.
The reason for delay in building the temple was not as good as it seemed. The Jews might have written to the Persian king contradicting the slander of their enemies, and they should not have forgotten that no earthly monarch could prevent an undertaking which God favored. But they had also become interested in building beautiful dwellings for themselves, and in cultivating their fields and vineyards. If you are always more interested in God's work than your own, you will not be likely to neglect it.
We know the reasons were not sufficient in God's sight, for he sent Haggai with a message of reproof, telling them God had allowed drought and pestilence that they might know he was displeased when they let his house remain in ruins while their own homes were luxuriously finished.
Seven weeks after Haggai had first spoken to them, and, heeding his words, work had been commenced on the temple, the Lord instructed him to speak words of encouragement to them; for, although they continued building, it was done with little heart. To those who had seen Solomon's temple, which had been destroyed only sixty-six years before, it seemed hardly "worth while" to erect so comparatively mean a structure. Haggai's encouraging promises from the Lord were: "I will be with thee," "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former." Millions of dollars worth of gold were used in the holy of holies alone in Solomon's temple. Was that to be surpassed in the new? With the Lord the greatest glory is never in outward show. The "Desire of all nations," Jesus, God's Son, would walk and teach in this temple. The spiritual glory of his presence would far exceed any splendor of gold or jewels. God's idea of glory and man's are not always the same.
Does it sometimes seem not "worth while" to be particular to build this and that unseen, insignificant good deed into your character temple? In God's sight such an act may be more glorious than a conspicuous heroic deed which everyone applauds. If it makes your heart and soul more fit for the dwelling place of the holy God, then it is preparing you to receive the greatest possible glory.—Christian at Work.
ALPHABETICAL PRECEPTS.
By Henry
A.—Acquaint now thyself with Him and be at peace, and thereby good shall come unto thee.
B.—Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
C.—Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.
D.—Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.
E.—Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not into the way of the evil man.
F.—Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
G.—Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.
H.—Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase.
I.—It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
K.—Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of the Lord, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools.
L.—Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be thou in fear of the Lord all the day long.
M.—Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shalt not go.
N.—Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
O.—Offer unto the Lord thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the Most High.
P.—Pray continually.
Q.—Quench not the Spirit.
R.—Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, ere the evil days come, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure therein.
S.—Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.
T.—Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
U.—Unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.
W.—Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
X.—'Xamine yourselves whether ye be in the faith.
Y.—Ye shall keep My Sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary; I am the Lord.—Life of Henry.
The Scourge of Bad Temper
By Charles Buxton
BAD temper is its own scourge. Few things are bitterer than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim.
The Sanctity of the Precept
By J. H. Evans
I DON'T believe anyone knows the sweetness of the promises who underrates the sanctity of the precept.—J. H. Evans.
Faith in God’s Loving-Kindness
By Samuel Rutherford
It is faith's work to claim and challenge loving-kindness out of all the roughest strokes of God.—S. Rutherford.
True Goodness
"TRUE goodness, like the glowworm, shines most when no eyes save those of Heaven are upon it."
WHAT TIME IS IT?
TIME to give up that old grudge. It is a fearful thing to go through life carrying the seed of hatred in the heart. "Forgive and forget" is a noble motto. Try it, and learn the blessedness of true living.
What time is it?—Ah, time to forget that all-important personage "I"! "If we could only lose sight of the big 'I,'" said one. To know happiness and peaceful contentment, we must think less of self and more of Christ. Oh, we would be kept so constantly busy for the blessed Master that no time for thoughts of self dare creep in to mar the happiness of the hour! It is time, is it not, to learn, when the hour strikes, and we pass from time to eternity, that there is many another here who can fill our place, perhaps more worthily; and after a few short months or years our name shall have been forgotten where once it was known and loved. But what matter if it be written in the Lamb's book of life? Let earthly friends forget, and earthly hopes crumble beneath our feet; let worldly wealth depart, aye, even sweet dreams of fame vanish before our sight; what matter if heaven is still a sweet reality? Homage and love and wealth and glory can never save a soul. It is time to look after our eternal interest.
What time?—Time to recall that bitter, cutting speech. Oh, life is so brief and full of care, why need we add more by uttering harsh words? The charity which thinketh no evil is that which belongs to the child of God. "But this was only a trifle, and our spirits were wrought upon."
"A trifle is it? Take thou heed!
Thou knowest not what depth it may reach,
That lightly uttered, careless speech,
What fruit may ripen from the seed."
And who was it that rebuked not again, but forgave his enemies, and blessed even those who cursed him? Was it not the Master, "whose we are and whom we serve"?
What time?—Time to see that our hope of heaven is secure. We know all about our worldly standing; we carefully count our dollars, and count ourselves rich or poor accordingly. If we are popular or not, we know it. We also know the extent of our capacity, and if we can do a thing well we are justly proud of the fact. O soul, is it not high time to carefully look after our hope of heaven, and secure a standing before which we need not blush to meet the Redeemer?—The Observer.
THE BOTTOMLESS JUG.
I saw it hanging up in the kitchen of a thrifty, healthy, sturdy farmer, in Oxford County, Maine—a bottomless jug. The host saw that the curious thing caught my eye, and smiled.
"You are wondering what that jug is hanging up there for, with its bottom knocked out," he said. "My wife, perhaps, could tell you the story better than I can; but she is bashful, and I ain't, so I'll tell it.
"My father, as you are probably aware, owned this farm before me. He lived to a good old age, worked hard all his life, never squandered money, was a careful trader, and a good calculator, and, as men were accounted in his day and generation, he was a temperate man. I was the youngest boy; and when the old man was ready to go—and he knew it—the others agreed that, since I had stayed at home and taken care of the old folks, the farm should be mine. And to me it was willed. I had been married then three years.
"Well, father died—mother had gone three years before—and left the farm to me, with a mortgage on it for $2,000. I'd never thought so much of it before, but I thought of it now. I said to Molly, my wife, 'Molly,' says I, 'look here. Here's father had this farm in its first strength of soil, with all its magnificent timber, and his six boys, as they grew up, equal to so many men, to help him; and he has worked hard, worked early and late, and yet look at it. A mortgage of $2,000! What can I do? And I went to that old jug, it had its bottom in then, and took a good stiff drink of Old Melford rum from it.
"I noticed a curious look on the face of my wife just then, and asked her what she thought of it; for I supposed, of course, she was thinking of what I'd been talking about. And so she was. Says she: 'Charles, I've thought of this a good deal; and I've thought of a way in which I believe we can clear this mortgage off before five years are ended.'
"Says I, 'Molly, tell me how you'll do it.'
"She thought for a while, and then she said, with a funny twinkling in her blue eyes—says she, 'Charles, you must promise me this, and promise me solemnly and sacredly: promise me that you will never again bring home for the purpose of drinking for a beverage at any one time, more spirits of any kind than you can bring in that old jug—the jug that your father has used ever since I knew him, and which you have used since he was done with it.'
"Well, I knew father used, once in a while, especially in haying time, and in the winter time when we were at work in the woods, to get an old gallon jug filled; so I thought she meant that I should never buy more than two quarts at a time. I thought it over, and after a little while I told her I would agree to it. 'Now mind,' said she, 'you are never—never—to bring home for a common beverage more spirits than you can bring in that identical jug.' And I gave her the promise.
"And before I went to bed that night I took the last pull at that jug. As I was turning it out for a sort of night cap, Molly looked up and says she, 'Charley, have you got a drop left?' There was just about a drop. We'd have to get it filled on the morrow. And then she said, if I had no objection, she would drink that last drop with me. I shall never forget how she brought it out—'that last drop!' However, I tipped the old jug bottom up and got out about a great spoonful, and Molly said that was enough. She took the tumbler and poured a few drops of hot water into it, and a bit of sugar, and then she tinkled her glass against mine, just as she'd seen us boys do when we'd been drinking good luck, and says she, 'Here's to the old brown jug!'
"Sakes alive! I thought to myself that poor Molly had been drinking more of the rum than was good for her, and I tell you it kind o' cut me to the heart. I forgot all about how many times she'd seen me when my tongue was thicker than it ought to be, and my legs not quite so steady as good legs should be; but I said nothing. I drank the sentiment—'The old brown jug!'—and let it go.
"Well, I went out after that and did my chores, and then went to bed; and the last thing I said before leaving the kitchen, this very room where you now sit, was, 'We'll have the old brown jug filled to-morrow.' And then I went off to bed. And I have remembered ever since that I went to bed that night, as I had done hundreds of times before, with a buzzing in my head that a healthy man ought not to have. I didn't think of it then, nor had I ever thought of it before; but I've thought of it a good many times since, and have thought of it with wonder and awe.
"Well, I got up the next morning and did up my work at the barn, then came in and ate my breakfast, but not with such an appetite as a farmer ought to have, and I could not think even then that my appetite had begun to fall me. However, I ate breakfast and then went out and hitched up the old mare; for, to tell the plain truth, I was feeling the need of a glass of spirits, and I hadn't a drop in the house. I was in a hurry to get to the village. I got hitched up and came in for the jug. I went for it in the old cupboard and took it out, and—
"Did you ever break through the thin ice, on a nipping cold day, and find yourself in an instant over your head in freezing water? because that was the way I felt at that moment. That jug was there, but the bottom was gone. Molly had been and taken a sharp chisel and a hammer, and with a skill that might have done credit to a master workman, she had clipped the bottom clean out of the jug, without even cracking the edges or the sides. I looked at the jug and then I looked at Molly. And then she burst out. She spoke—oh, I never heard anything like it! no, nor have I ever heard anything like it since. Said she:—
"'Charles, there's where the mortgage on this farm came from. It was brought home in that jug, two quarts at a time. And there's where your white, clear skin, and your clear, pretty eyes are going. And in that jug, my husband, your appetite is going also. Oh, let the bottom stay out forever! Let it be as it is, dear heart. And remember your promise to me!'
"And then she threw her arms around my neck and burst into tears. She couldn't speak more.
"And there was no need. My eyes were opened as though by magic. In a single minute the whole scene passed before me. I saw all the mortgages on all the farms in our neighborhood; and I thought where the money had gone. The very last mortgage father had ever made had been to pay a bill held against him by the man who had filled his jug for years. Yes, I saw it as it passed before me—a fitting picture of rum! rum! rum! debt! debt! debt! and, in the end—death! And I returned my Molly's kiss, and said I, 'Molly, my own, I'll keep the promise, I will, so help me Heaven.'
"And I have kept it. In less than five years, as Molly had said, the mortgage was paid off; my appetite came back to me; and now we've got a few thousand dollars out at interest. There hangs the old jug just as we hung it on that day; and from that time there hasn't been a drop of spirits brought into the house for a beverage, which that bottomless jug wouldn't have held.
"Dear old jug! We mean to keep it, and to hand it down to our children, for the lesson it can give them—a lesson of life—of a life happy, peaceful, prosperous, and blessed."
And as he ceased speaking, his wife, with an arm drawn tenderly around the neck of her youngest boy, murmured a fervent, "Amen."—W. C. T. U. Bulletin.
CHRISTIANITY AND SWINE.
By Joseph Harvey Waggoner
I do not intend to connect Christianity with swine in any manner, or to any degree. I only wish to present somebody's idea of it.
A friend in Ohio related to me the following: A Methodist minister made a visit to his family. The time being soon after "killing season," newly-made, highly-seasoned sausages were on the table, of which the minister ate largely, and praised the savory viands with as much zeal as Belshazzar showed in praising the gods of gold and silver, and remarked, "I do not wonder that a Jew laid his hand on the back of a hog and said, 'Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.'"
There you have a Methodist minister's view of the persuasive powers of a hog in favor of Christianity; and the appeal is to that which is most easily reached and has the controlling influence with many of the ministers of the present age,—their perverted appetites. That a swine, in the shape of sausage or any other shape, appeals to the intellect, the convictions, the conscience, will not be affirmed even by a modern ministerial epicure. But in the above case it proved, as it often does, that the stomach cannot be quieted as easily as the higher sensibilities. Soon after dinner the preacher called for a dose of potash in the form of cooking soda, to turn the swine's grease into soap, thus to compel his stomach to retain the disgusting mass. I should have preferred lobelia to soda, and an allopathic dose.
There is a sad moral to all this. Such a minister loses the respect of the family which he visits; and this is all right so far as he is concerned—he deserves no respect. But the name of Christianity is disgraced by such251ministers. It is a well-known truth that the ministry is largely accountable for the prevailing custom of gormandizing, and for the use of indigestible food. An extra dinner "for the minister" is a matter of course, and many of them would feel insulted if they were invited to sit down to a good, plain dinner of digestible food. It is a shame to the ministerial office that their appetite for rich dinners, and suppers also, is proverbial. And he who would, even for a moment, associate a fat hog with inducements to profess Christianity, would not hesitate to accept "a call" to the ministry in view of the rich dinners that the minister is pretty sure to get. "Verily, they have their reward."—J. H. Waggoner.
IF THERE BE GLORY.
By Maxwell Grey
If there be glory in the sun,
If splendor on the sea,
Sweet music in all rills that run,
Great God, it is of thee.
Thy splendor broods on icy peaks;
Thy torrents thunder fills;
It is thy majesty that speaks
Among the lonely hills.
The sweetest spring flower ever blushed
On brightest morn of May,
The richest bird song ever gushed
At rosiest shut of day,
The maiden moon that strayeth lone
And pensive through the sky,
Unloosing from her silver zone
Her largesse silently,
The solemn majesty of night,
Its stillness and its stars,
The glory when, in growing light,
The crimson day unbars—
All could not charm except some thought
From thee within them stirred;
They touch man's soul, for thou hast wrought
Their beauty by thy word.
If there be glory in the sun,
If splendor on the sea,
Sweet music in all rills that run,
Great God, it is of thee.
God thought; worlds rolled in sudden space
He spake, and life was there;
The universe in his embrace
Reposes and is fair.
—Maxwell Grey, in United Presbyterian.
TWO WAYS.
In these days, when so many sincere people are trying to keep up their weaker brothers, this incident, true in every detail, may have its significance and use.
Three years ago the pastor of a city church appealed to the members of his congregation to take a more active part in helping the poor and the criminal classes. The next day two young married women, wealthy and gently bred, went to him in response to his appeal. He sent them to the woman's ward of the city prison. They went together, separated after being taken to the ward by an attendant, and in an hour or two met again at the gate.
"Tell me how you were received and what you did," said Mrs. C. anxiously. She was a timid, diffident woman.
"The work is, of course, new to me," said Mrs. V., "and I know nothing of the habits of mind of these women, or what would appeal to them. The gulf between us seems so wide that I concluded the more direct and plain I made my condemnation of their evil habits and conducts the better."
"At the window of each cell I spoke kindly but firmly to the occupant, and told her I had come to talk about her life and its sinfulness. One of them was stolid and dumb. Two of them were really abusive. I do not feel sure that one of the four or five with whom I talked was impressed by the truths I told her."
"I shall come again," she continued, "but I believe it to be useless. Between us and them there certainly is a great gulf, and I do not see how it is to be covered."
The two ladies walked in silence for a while, and then Mrs. V. said, "What did you do?"
"Oh, so little!" exclaimed the other. "I only went to one cell. I saw a poor mulatto woman who had been convicted of larceny. Her defense was that her child was starving, and so her sentence was light. When I saw her, I thought I might be where she is if God had given me a black skin, and poverty, and a hungry child—"
"Ridiculous!" said Mrs. V., indignantly. "You could never have been a thief!"
"God only knows. At any rate, I could not preach to her. So I only talked of her child, and told her how sorry I was she could not be with her baby. I am going to see it, and I am going to-morrow to tell her about it."
Mrs. V. visited the prison twice after this first interview, and lectured the women, but, finding that she was received coldly, she abandoned them, and ever after spoke of the criminal classes as "hopeless."
Mrs. C. looked after the poor black baby while its mother was in prison. When the woman was released, she took her into her house, contrary to Mrs. V.'s advice, and gave her work and a home.
"I cannot think she will steal from me," she said smiling. She taught and watched over her as tenderly as a sister.
The poor thing is now a member of the Methodist Church, earnest and hopeful in her struggle to do right and to make a good man of her boy.
We cannot stand upon a height and order our brother out of vice.
Christ, let us remember, when he blessed the weak and helped the wicked, first laid his loving hands upon them.—Youth's Companion.
THE ORGANISM OF MAN.
IN the human body there are about 263 bones.
The muscles are about 500 in number.
The length of the alimentary canal is about thirty-two feet.
The amount of blood in an adult averages thirty pounds, or fully one-fifth of the entire weight.
The heart is six inches in length and four inches in diameter, and beats seventy times per minute, 4,200 times per hour, 100,800 per day, 36,792,000 times per year, 2,565,440,000 in threescore and ten, and at each beat 2½ ounces of blood are thrown out of it, 175 ounces per minute, 656 pounds per hour, 7½ tons per day. All the blood in the body passes through the heart in three minutes. This little organ, by its ceaseless industry, pumps each day what is equal to lifting 122 tons one foot high, or one ton 122 feet high.
The lungs will contain about one gallon of air, at their usual degree of inflation. We breathe on an average 1,200 times per hour, inhale 600 gallons of air, or 24,000 per day. The aggregate surface of the air cells of the lungs exceeds 20,000 square inches, an area very nearly equal to the floor of a room twelve feet square.
The average weight of the brain of an adult male is three pounds and eight ounces, of a female two pounds and four ounces. The nerves are all connected with it, directly or by the spinal marrow. These nerves, together with their branches and minute ramifications, probably exceed 10,000,000 in number, forming a "body guard" outnumbering by far the greatest army ever marshaled.
The skin is composed of three layers, and varies from ¼ to ⅛ of an inch in thickness. The atmospheric pressure being about 14 pounds to the square inch, a person of medium size is subjected to a pressure of 40,000 pounds. Each square inch of skin contains 3,500 sweating tubes, or perspiratory pores, each of which may be likened to a little drain pipe ¼ of an inch long, making an aggregate length of the entire surface of the body of 201,166 feet, or a tile ditch for draining the body almost forty miles long.
Man is marvelously made. Who is eager to investigate the curious and wonderful works of Omnipotent wisdom, let him not wander the wide world around to seek them, but examine himself.—Medical Brief.
TEMPERATE MEN.
By Christian at Work
PRESIDENT CORBIN, of the Long Island Railroad, is known the country over as a shrewd and successful business man. In matters of business he seldom makes a mistake. One of the latest evidences of his business sagacity is his action with reference to the employment of drinking men. He informs the general manager of the road that he has heard of violations of the rule as to the use of intoxicating liquors by employes while on duty, and serves notice that all heads of departments will be held strictly answerable for the enforcement of this rule. "Men who violate it," he says, "must be promptly discharged, and proof that a man goes inside a drinking place while on duty will be ample evidence to warrant his immediate dismissal. More than this, men known to drink to such excess as to frequent places while off duty will be discharged." Nor is this all.
"In the employment of new men," says Mr. Corbin, "strict inquiries shall be made as to their habits, and preference always given to those who do not use intoxicating liquors at all." Finally he announces that "heads of departments will be required to keep informed as to the habits of the men under them and make sure that they observe strictly these rules." The first effect of this order was the discharge of the engineer and conductor of a freight train for entering a saloon while on duty. Thus, slowly but surely, the business interests of the country are being arrayed against the common enemy—the liquor traffic.
—Christian at Work.
SOMETHING FOR BOYS.
By J. W. Kirton, LL.D.
I ONCE saw a touching and beautiful sight. Driving through a rugged part of the country, my attention was directed to an elderly lady trying to pick her way over a rough hillside. She came slowly and carefully. The hill was steep, and I was pitying her, and thinking if it would not be well to offer my services, when I heard a whistling boy coming up behind the carriage. He bounded past, and, running up the hill, put his arms around the lady and steadied her steps, saying pleasant words, I know, for the face looked beaming and bright with happiness. As we passed, I heard her say these words: "It is so nice to have a boy to come and help a mother down the hill." They passed on, and went into a farmhouse at the foot of the hill. I knew they were mother and son. There was a sermon in those few words, I thought. I wish every boy could have heard them.
You boys are all of you here to help mother down the hill of life. You don't all do it, though; more's the pity. Some of you make it harder for her. You do things that trouble her; she is anxious about you, and then she has to pick her way over places a thousand times rougher than walking down a steep hill. Perhaps you are getting into bad habits, and will not obey her counsel. Her poor heart is bruised by your conduct. She knows what the results of evil doings are: that if a boy begins habits that he only considers light as cobwebs in his youth, by and by they may become iron chains about him, and when he is a man, he will be a slave to them.
Now, boys, if you would help the dear mother down the hill of life, and make the path smooth for her, do the things she wishes you to do. And if you are all right as regards bad habits, perhaps you are not as thoughtful of the "little things" that make up life as you might be. Be as polite in waiting upon your mother as you are in waiting on other boys' mothers. Don't speak in rough tones to her. Be gentle when you speak to her, and careful to remember what she wishes you to be particular to do at different times and in different places.
"It's so nice to have a boy to help a mother down the hill." Yes; when, weary and worn with life's hard work, and age begins to come, it is a great satisfaction and source of gratitude to know that a strong, upright boy is coming up to help mother down.
And boys who have gone from home, although you cannot literally put your arms around mother and steady her steps, yet you can write her good long letters, and tell her you wish you were in the old home again, so you could hug her and kiss her as you did when you were a little fellow, and loved to climb up in her lap. One of the greatest blessings in the world is that of having a praying mother. Make yourselves worthy of the good mothers God has given you, and take your mother's God for your God in the days of your youth.—J. W. Kirton, LL.D.