Review and Herald, Vol. 26, No. 20. (10/17/1865)

Review and Herald

Oct 17, 1865

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 17, 1865

A Historical Sketch of the Ancient City of Babylon.

Sketches of Biblical history are always profitable, and usually interesting, to the student of the Sacred Writings. As we read in the Scriptures, of ancient times, their cities, and countries, and customs, it contributes much to the pleasure of the reader to be in possession of some of the history of such places. To this end we have selected from the "Religious Encyclopedia," the following sketch of ancient Babylon. This noted city was the pride of the Chaldees, the seat of boundless luxury, and nothing, as history asserts, "could be more corrupt than its morals." It was to this city that Daniel, with a multitude of other captives, were brought by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. Dan. i, 3. It was also in this mighty metropolis that the great temple of Bel, or Belus, was located, as many say, on the old tower of Babel. On this tower was the golden image, which the three Hebrew worthies for refusing to adore, were cast into the fiery furnace. But on account of the prodigious wickedness of the Chaldeans, a voice from Heaven, by the prophets, proclaimed its overthrow; and to-day, in fulfillment of those prophetic words, it has become "a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant." G.

Babylon, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Babylonia, is supposed to have been situated in north latitude thirty-two degrees and thirty-four minutes, and in east longitude forty-four degrees, twelve minutes and thirty seconds. It was founded by the first descendants of Noah, 2234 years B. C., enlarged by Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah, 2000 years B. C., and, in a manner, completely rebuilt about 1200 years B. C., by the Assyrian queen Semiramis. It was greatly strengthened and beautified by various succeeding sovereigns; but it was by Nebuchadnezzar and his daughter Nitocris, that it was brought to such a degree of magnificence and splendor, as rendered it one of the wonders of the world.

The antithesis between Babylon and Jerusalem, enters largely into the prophetic language of Scripture. Hence the importance of an accurate knowledge of the real history of both.

Babylon stood in the midst of a large plain, in a very deep and fruitful soil. It was divided into two parts by the river Euphrates, which flowed through the city from north to south. The old city was on the east, and the new city, built by Nebuchadnezzar, on the west side of the river. Both these divisions were surrounded by one wall, and the whole formed a complete square, four hundred and eighty furlongs in compass. Each of the four sides of this square had twenty-five gates of solid brass, at equal distances; and at every corner was a strong tower, ten feet higher than the wall. In those quarters where the city had least natural defense, there were also three of these towers between every two of the gates; and the same number between each corner and the nearest gate on its two sides. The city was composed of fifty streets, each fifteen miles long, and one hundred and fifty feet broad, proceeding from the twenty-five gates on each side, and crossing each other at right angles, besides four half streets, two hundred feet in breadth, surrounding the whole, and fronting towards the outer wall. It was thus intersected into six hundred and seventy-six squares, which extended four furlongs and a half on each of their sides, and along which the houses were built, at some distance from each other. These intermediate spaces as well as the inner parts of the squares, were employed as gardens, pleasure grounds, &c.; so that not above one half of the immense extent which the walls enclosed, was occupied by buildings.

The walls of Babylon were of extraordinary strength, being eighty-seven feet broad, and three hundred and fifty feet high. They were built of brick, and cemented by a kind of glutinous earth called bitumen, which had the quality of soon becoming as hard as stone. These walls were surrounded on the outside by an immense ditch, from which the earth had been dug to make the bricks; and which, being always filled with water, added very much to the defense of the city.

On each side of the river Euphrates was built a quay, or high wall, of the same thickness with the walls around the city. There were gates of brass in these walls, opposite to every street which led to the river, and from them were formed descents, or landing places, by means of steps, so that the inhabitants could easily pass in boats, from one side of the city to the other. There was also a remarkable bridge thrown over the river, near the middle of the city, built with wonderful art, of huge stones, fastened together by means of iron chains and melted lead; and is said to have been a whole furlong in length, and thirty feet in breadth.

In order to prevent any inconvenience from the swellings of the Euphrates, two canals were cut from that river, at a considerable distance above the town, which carried off the superabundant waters into the Tigris. From the place where these canals commenced, down the sides of the river, both above and below the city, immense banks were constructed, to confine the stream still more effectually within its channel, and to prevent still more completely all danger of an inundation. In order to facilitate the construction of these works, an immense lake was dug on the west side of Babylon, about forty miles square, and thirty-five feet deep, into which the river was turned by a canal until the banks were completed; and it was then restored to its former course. This lake continued afterwards to receive annually a fresh supply of water from the Euphrates, and was rendered very serviceable, by means of sluices, for watering the lands which were situated below it.

At the two ends of the bridge over the Euphrates, were two magnificent palaces, which had a subterranean communication with each other, by means of a vault or tunnel, under the bed of the river. The old palace, on the east side, was about forty furlongs in compass, and was surrounded by three separate walls, one within the other, with considerable spaces between them. The new palace, on the opposite side, was about four times as large as the other, and is said to have been eight miles in circumference. The walls of both these edifices were embellished with an infinite variety of pieces of sculpture; and, among the rest, was a curious hunting-scene, in which Semiramis was represented on horseback, throwing her javelin at a leopard, while her husband Ninus was piercing a lion.

The most remarkable structure in the new palace was the hanging gardens, which Nebuchadnezzar is said to have raised, in order to give his wife Amytis, (daughter of Astyages, king of Media,) some representation of the beautiful mountains and woody views which abounded in her native country. These gardens occupied a square piece of ground, four hundred feet on every side, and consisted of large terraces, raised one above the other, till they equaled in height the walls of the city. The ascent from terrace to terrace, was by means of steps ten feet wide; and the whole pile was sustained by vast arches, built upon other arches, and strengthened on each side by a solid wall twenty-two feet in thickness. Within these arches were very spacious and splendid apartments, which are described as having commanded a very extensive and delightful prospect. In order to form a proper pavement for supporting the soil, and confining the moisture of the garden, large flat stones, sixteen feet in length, and four in breadth, were, first of all, laid upon the top of the upper arches; over these was spread a layer of reeds, mixed with bitumen; upon this, two rows of brick, closely cemented; and the whole covered with sheets of lead, upon which the earth or mould was laid to a sufficient depth for the largest trees to take firm root. In the upper terrace

was a large reservoir, into which water was drawn from the river by some species of engine, and kept there ready to be distributed to any part of the garden.

Scripture no where notices these celebrated gardens; but it speaks of willows planted on the banks of the rivers of Babylon: "We hanged our harps on the willows in the midst thereof," says Psa. cxxxvii, 2. Isaiah, describing in a prophetic style the captivity of the Moabites by Nebuchadnezzar, says, "They shall be carried away to the valley of willows." (Ch. xv, 7.) The same prophet, (Ch. xxi, 1,) describing the calamities of Babylon by Cyrus, calls this city the desert of the sea. Jeremiah, to the same purport, says, (li, 36, 42,) "I will dry up the sea of Babylon, and make her springs dry. The sea has come up upon her; she is covered with its multitude of the waves thereof." Megasthenes (ap. Euseb. Præp. ix. 41.) assures us, that Babylon was built in a place which had before abounded so with water, that it was called the sea. But the language of the Psalmist above quoted, suggests the idea that the city of Babylon was refreshed by a considerable number of streams; "By the rivers [streams, flowing currents] of Babylon we sat down."—"On the willows (plural) in the midst thereof, we hanged our harps" (plural.) There must, then, have been gardens visited by these streams, easily accessible to the captive Israelites; not the royal gardens, exclusively, but others less reserved; and the phrase, "in the midst thereof," that is, of Babylon, seems to denote—not gardens above or below the city, but strictly in its interior. We know, also, that there was but one river at Babylon then, as there is but one now, the Euphrates, so that when these captives represent themselves as "sitting by the rivers of Babylon," in the plural, they inform us that this river was divided into several branches, or canals; and these were, doubtless, works of art. Moreover, from Jeremiah's threat of drying up the sea of Babylon, we learn that there was a considerable lake or reservoir, in the interior of the city; for to such large receptacles of water the appellation sea was, and still is, applied in the East. Undoubtedly, the water of this lake, and of these canals, being furnished by the Euphrates, the name of that river might be continued to them, in a general sense; and if this be admitted, a great proportion of those difficulties which the learned have hitherto found insuperable, are reduced to trifles, if they do not vanish. Nor ought we to forget, that the Egyptian Memphis, which we suppose to be a copy from Babylon, was, in like manner, surrounded and visited by streams, by canals, &c., all of them drawn from one river, the Nile, and bearing its name.

Near to the old palace stood the temple of Belus; and in the middle of the temple was an immense tower, about six hundred feet in height, and the same number square at the foundation. This huge pile of building consisted of eight towers, each seventy-five feet high, placed one above the other, and gradually decreasing towards the top like a pyramid. What has been described is understood to have been the old tower of Babel; but it was greatly enlarged by Nebuchadnezzar, who built around its base a number of other sacred edifices, forming a square nearly three miles in compass. The whole was inclosed by a strong wall, and the various entrances secured by solid gates of brass, which are conjectured to have been formed out of the spoils of the temple at Jerusalem. Dan. i, 2. 2 Chron. xxxvi, 7. In this temple of Belus, or, as some say, on its summit, was a golden image forty feet in height, and equal in value to three and a half millions sterling. There was, besides, such a multitude of other statues and sacred utensils, that the whole of the treasures contained in this single edifice has been estimated at forty-two millions.

Many of the above statements, recorded in ancient authors, respecting the wonders of Babylon, are unquestionably greatly exaggerated; but, after every abatement that can fairly be made, this city is understood to have comprehended a regular square, forty-eight miles in circuit, and to have been eight times larger than London and its appendages. See Gillies' Hist. of the World, vol. i, p. 166, and Rennel's Geog. of Herodotus, p. 341.

Take Courage.

By R. F. C.

TUNE—"Lovely Rose."

HAIL! fellow pilgrim stranger, Going home; Amid earth's toil and danger Travel on, Your journey's end is near; Though the way be rough and stormy, There is nothing that can harm you, So never fear.

While in this desert dreary, Looking home, You oft feel sad and weary, Waiting one, Take courage and look up; For to those who are on duty Will the King appear in beauty, Our blessed hope!

O, dry those tears of sadness, Weeping one, Your grief will turn to gladness Very soon; For Jesus soon will come, Then our joy will know no measure, For the grave shall yield her treasure, And all go home!

R. F. C.

The Cholera.

By G.

THE "American Phrenological Journal" has some good remarks in reference to this much-to-be-dreaded scourge. The cholera may, probably will, soon visit our shores on its westward march, but who is so well prepared to grapple with the emergencies of such a visitation as the thoroughly hygienic, religious, man? The present reform, lately inaugurated among Seventh-day Adventists in reference to food, and dress, and the general habits of life, will be the best safeguard in the event of such a calamity. In the meantime, let us post up on hygiene, and not take the cholera before it comes. G.

Our European exchanges are full of startling accounts of the ravages and steady westward progress of this fell-destroyer—the worst of human scourges. Commencing in the East, it is working westward. In China, Russia, Turkey, Prussia, etc., it has swept—is sweeping—off thousands daily.

According to its common course, the epidemic will soon reach Western Europe, and sweep thence over the German States, Belgium, France, and Great Britain, from whence it will be brought to America. Intercourse between the United States and Europe is now so regular and so frequent—it is almost like a daily line—by one or more of the numerous steamers, that it will be impossible, no matter how carefully the quarantine regulations be observed, to keep it out. We who speak the same language in the Old and New countries are so mixed up by trade, commerce, literature, etc., that our interests are daily becoming more and more inseparable. An affliction there becomes an affliction here. An affliction here—the rebellion, for example—causes untold suffering by starvation there. But an epidemic like the cholera, which baffles all medical skill, spreads like wildfire along the water-courses, railways, and other thoroughfares. Then what is to be done to avert this threatened pestilence?

This: Trust in God, and do our duty. But what is our duty? To obey the laws of our being. What are those laws? They are these: "TEMPERANCE IN ALL THINGS," good food, pure air, regular bodily exercise, plenty of sleep, a clean skin, good digestion, a clear conscience, and good-will to man.

If you feed on garbage, drink slops, swill-milk, alcoholic liquors, medicinal bitters, chew, smoke, or snuff tobacco, lie around nights on the wharves, breathe the odors from dirty streets, dirty sewers, bone-boiling establishments, filthy cellars, unclean stables, pig-pens, slaughter yards, water-closets, and other pestilential places; or if you "abuse yourselves" by any excess, you are in danger, and will be an easy subject for attack.

If you are a wicked transgressor, a doubting skeptic, a timid coward, you are in danger.

AN ANECDOTE.—When lecturing in New Orleans several years ago, we visited the hospitals, asylums, schools, and other public places, kept so nice and clean by the Sisters of Mercy. We remarked to a warden, that we should not fear the cholera here; when he replied, "There was never a case known to occur within these walls. Here the prisoners have regular rations dealt out to them. They get no alcoholic liquors; commit no excesses; retire early, and escape the cholera. If a young man residing here can not regulate his appetite, and feels in danger of the disease, let him commit a crime meriting imprisonment, and he will be shut up during the prevalence of the plague, and he will be quite safe."

FAITH VS. FEAR.—Two ladies in New Orleans from the North were attacked at the same time in the same way. The one overcome by fear gave up in despair, lamenting the absence of husband, children, and friends, exclaiming, "Oh, I shall die! I know I shall die!" The other, with faith, calmness, and self-possession, and trust in Providence, remarked that she, too, felt quite alone, away from home and family; "but if it be the will of God that I should go hence, I hope I may be resigned."

We inquired of the landlady if she considered these cases dangerous? She promptly replied, "That one with so much fear, will die, and the other will recover." Surprised at this confident answer, we interposed, "They were both well but an hour ago, and that one—the first—seemed to have the best constitution, why may she not recover?" Her answer was, "Did you not hear her say, 'I know I shall die?'" Sure enough, she did. The other cast herself, as it were, into the keeping of Him who can save, and with the spirit of perfect resignation, let nature take its course. She recovered, and is a living witness today in favor of the power of FAITH.

Those who live in the mountains, or in the country, away from the dissipations of city life, and breathe the pure air, escape the cholera. So do the more cleanly and temperate citizens. The cholera attacks first those who are the most fit, those whose blood has been rendered impure by improper living; while those best fortified—such as we have described—are exempt, and escape. With clean streets—nuisances removed—pure air, good food, and proper sanitary arrangements, we may hope to escape, or at least to be touched lightly, by the cholera, which will, no doubt, pay us a visit early next spring or summer. Let us be fortified with health, and ready for it.

Fetichism at the South.

According to the Mobile Tribune the wild superstitions of savage Africa still linger among the negroes of the South, and they are occasionally detected in fetich worship. An occasion of the kind lately happened at Mobile, which is thus described:

"In company with a few policemen we went last night to a house situated beyond the Gas Works, and occupied by an old negro who claims to be an Obi Man. Approaching the house carefully and peering through the crevices in the walls, a wild, weird spectacle was presented. Around a small fire of pine in the middle of the floor—or room, for floor there was

none—and over which was hung a pot, sat a group of negro men and women, entirely nude; their hair, or wool, twisted into pig-tail curls and ornamented with sprigs of some kind of herb intermingled with dried roots, their eyes closed; the master of ceremonies or High Fetich Priest, with a snake skin around his neck, and his wool grizzled with age, and garnished more profusely than the rest, was chanting something in a droning voice while the remainder of the 'congregation' responded, as it were, with a low, long-drawn howl. The old negro with the snake skin clapped his hands and the whole party rose and commenced a most furious stamping in a circle around the pot. This over, they all squatted down again and the 'Obi man' resumed his chant, at the same time holding in his hands a covered basket, from which he drew and dropped into the pot, first, a dead snake, then a frog, then a young alligator about a foot long, now another smaller alligator or lizard, and last of all the herbs and roots from his own and the heads of the other negroes. Silence was observed by all for some minutes after the last deposit had been made, after which the pot was taken from the fire, and while the nauseous mixture was yet reeking hot, they each dipped the end of the middle finger of the left hand into it and applied the end of the finger to their tongues; another dip into the pot was taken with the middle finger of the right hand and certain cabalistic characters described on the breasts, foreheads and shoulders—one assisting the other in the operation. Not a word was spoken until their clothes had been resumed and they had got clear of the house.

Although on high occasions the Fetich or 'Obi man' may demand a human sacrifice in his hellish rites, and which is generally a young child, nothing of the kind was attempted in the Vondoo pow-wow of last night. The presence of the police would, of course, have prevented anything of this nature had it even been thought necessary by the old negro conducting the affair. Old negro women were sometimes 'used up' as 'material' in these meetings at Vondootom, near New Orleans, one of whom escaped the sacrificial knife on one occasion and caused the arrest of the whole gang."

Keep Your Vessel Under the Fountain.

By E. S. Willard

HERE lies the secret. Keep the vessel under the fountain. If you want it run over full all the time, keep it under the fountain—pray without ceasing.

Go set your bowl or pitcher under the trickling spout and go your way, and when you come round again there it is all running over full of pure water! Be thus wise in spiritual things.

Keep the vessel under the fountain if you wish always to abound in the work of the Lord. Keep your vessel under the fountain if you wish to be ready for every good work. Keep your vessel under the fountain if you would be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. Keep your vessel under the fountain if you would comfort yourselves together, and edify one another. Keep your vessel under the fountain if you would know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Keep your vessel under the fountain if you would be at peace among yourselves. Keep your vessel under the fountain if you would be able to warn the unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, and be patient toward all men. Keep your vessel under the fountain if you would not render evil for evil, but ever follow that which is good both among yourselves and toward all men. Keep your vessel under the fountain if you would rejoice ever more, and in every thing give thanks. Keep your vessel under the fountain if you would abstain from every appearance of evil, and be sanctified wholly, soul, body, and spirit, to the coming of our Lord.—E. S. Willard.

Patience in Affliction

In all afflictions, seek rather for patience than for comfort: if thou preservest that, this will return.

Twelve Standing Rules

FOR ESTABLISHING AND PERPETUATING HEALTH.

1. Faith in God, and good conscience.

2. Temperance in all things.

3. Diligence and cheerfulness in an honorable avocation.

4. Avoid late hours—retire to rest early, rise early, or as soon as rested, wash, and seek the fresh morning air.

5. Dress warm in winter and in damp weather; dress cool in summer when the weather is hot; and, scorning unwholesome fashions, cultivate comfort everywhere.

6. When unwell, rest, with fasting and prayer, leaving drugs and stimulants to the impatient and unwary. Touch not; taste not; handle not!

7. If very sick, and you know not the cause, or remedy, call for a physician that will not administer poisonous medicine. Choose for your medical counselor a true and conscientious Hygienist.

8. Bathe the whole body at least twice a week in summer, and once a week in winter. Little children should be bathed once a day through the year. Do n't neglect the bathing. (See Dr. Muzzy on sponge bathing.)

9. Choose a plain diet, consisting mostly of fruit and farinaceous food; use very little of hot drinks or hot bread, and never eat that which is crude, or indigestible.

10. Leave utterly untouched, tobacco, opium, and all alcoholic liquors.

11. Sleep warm, but never on feathers. Ventilate your sleeping-rooms the year round.

12. Ventilate well, according to the season, every apartment of your dwelling, from the garret to the cellar, keeping your premises clear of all noxious or infectious substances, thus securing a pure atmosphere to be breathed by all the members of your family.

The above rules, observed in connection with zeal and perseverance in doing good, will insure a healthful, peaceful, happy life, and a composed, serene, and triumphant end.

Devils Rampant.

By G.

A Church taken Possession of by Demons—Mysterious Noises—Results of an Investigation by the Police.

CONSIDERABLE excitement has arisen in Jersey City in consequence of groans, yells, and unearthly sounds said to emanate from a church in the upper part of Jersey City for some nights past. The first known of these mysterious sounds was some ten days since. When the pastor had occasion to return to the church after evening services to procure some manuscript which he had forgotten and had occasion to make use of. The edifice had been closed for the night, and was in total darkness. On entering he lit a match to guide him along the aisle, and when approaching the altar at the rear, his attention was attracted by a low moaning sound, which gradually increased, and at the same time drew nearer to him. To this he at first paid but little heed, presuming it to be the antics of mischievous boys; but presently the sounds changed to seemingly unearthly yells, shrieks and groans from innumerable invisible beings clustered around in close proximity to his person, until finally his feelings were so wrought upon that he felt impelled to leave the building with all possible haste. The above are substantially the facts of the case as stated by the pastor of the church to Chief of Police McManus, after reports were beginning to be circulated in the neighborhood that the church was haunted, and he requested that the matter might be kept as quiet as possible, believing that in a few days at furthest he would be able to unravel the

mystery, and satisfactorily explain the cause of the sounds. Since that time the church edifice has been thoroughly examined, inside and out, but without unraveling the mystery, and meantime these dismal and unearthly yells and cries are heard most every night. A couple of nights since, Chief of Police McManus, accompanied by Aid Doyle and Detective E. L. McWilliams, determined to pay a visit to the reported haunted church, they accordingly procured the keys and entered the edifice shortly after midnight. Taking their position in the center of the church, in total darkness, they had remained there but a short time when they heard a low moaning sound, apparently proceeding from the vicinity of the pulpit, which gradually grew louder and came nearer until it finally culminated around their heads into howls, yells, groans, etc., and then gradually died away as it came. After a few moments of perfect silence, Chief McManus drew from his pocket a revolver, loaded with blank cartridges, and fired one charge, when almost instantly the edifice seemed filled with thousands of infuriated demons, making the most hideous noises, and apparently bent on tearing them to pieces. The officers describe having experienced a very peculiar sensation in the head, and finally the noises became so hideous and unearthly that they made a hasty retreat, apparently pursued by the infuriated demons to the door, which they closed and locked. The officers then crossed the street to the opposite walk, and remained there until daylight, but heard no further sounds, and made no discoveries which would tend to explain the mystery. The people residing in the immediate neighborhood claim to have been disturbed at all hours of the night by these demoniac sounds, and a number of them have determined to leave the neighborhood.

The above we take from the Detroit Weekly Tribune of Sept. 26th. It is probably a species of that demonism which was first heard in a little wainscot not far from the city of Rochester, N. Y., a few years ago. This doctrine is, as its votaries teach, eminently progressive in its tendencies; thus it has proceeded from faint raps to most hideous and unearthly yells!

What next? G.

Count the Cost.

My friend, are you ready to follow Jesus? Count the cost. But I warn you tenderly, that, if it costs much to be a Christian, it will cost infinitely more to live and die a sinner. Religion costs self-denial; sin costs self-destruction!

To be a temperate man costs self-restraint; to be a tippler costs a ruined purse, a ruined character, a ruined soul. The sensualist pays for going to perdition by living in a sty. The swearer must pay for his oaths, and the Sabbath-breaker for his guilty contempt of God's law.

To lead a life of impenitence costs a dying bed of remorse. Count the cost. To go up to the judgment-seat without Christ will cost you an eternity of despair. Count the cost. Sit down, and make an honest reckoning. Put into one scale, life; into the other, death. Put into one scale, Heaven; into the other, hell. Weigh them well. Weigh for eternity. And, while you sit weighing anxiously, Christ whispers in your ear the thrilling question, "What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" What shall a man give in exchange for his soul.—Independent.

Carnival of Crime.

It is indeed sickening to read the accounts of crime recorded in every newspaper we pick up. Can any one mistake the days in which we live? Is not wickedness abounding more than ever before? Yes, truly; we are nearing the time equalled only by Sodom and Gomorrah, and the world before the flood. Yesterday's Detroit paper contains the following, which speaks volumes:

"Last night chronicled at least half a dozen attempts at robbery and burglary, some of which were successful; and in more than one locality during the evening, dark-browed, guilty-looking wretches, who started at the approach of a footstep, and hid themselves in the shade of neighboring buildings, or glided into dark and noisome alleys, could be seen by any observing eye, as they prowled here and there in search of a place or opportunity to do their foul work. On Michigan avenue, the doors of the Bresler block were tried by two suspicious characters, who were lurking about the premises before nine o'clock in the evening, and who, observing that they were watched, made off as fast as possible. The city and country are full of these outlaws; the by-ways are haunted with them, and it behooves every householder to double-bar and bolt his doors, fasten his windows with lock and shutter, sleep like Argus, with one eye open, and arm himself, like old Commodore Barney, of the first Potomac flotilla, with a pistol in each hand and a cutlass between his knees, to defend his house and goods from their prowling encroachments. Society is becoming overstocked with this class of persons, who have got it into their heads that the world owes them a living, when in fact it owes them nothing but a fathom of rope and as many feet of the earth which ought to spurn them, to cover them up with."

Home and Friends Around Us.

Oh! there's a power to make each hour As sweet as Heaven designed it; Nor need we roam to bring it home, Though few there be that find it. We seek too high for things close by, And lose what nature found us; For eye hath here no charm so dear, As Home, and Friends around us.

We oft destroy the present joy For future hopes, and praise them; While flowers as sweet bloom at our feet, If we'd but stoop to raise them. For things afar still sweeter are, When youth's bright spell hath bound us. But soon we're taught that earth hath naught Like Home, and Friends around us.

The friends that speed in time of need, When hope's last reed is shaken, To show us still, that come what will, We are not quite forsaken; Though all were night, if but the light From friendship's altar crowned us, 'Twould prove the bliss of earth was this; Our Home, and Friends around us.

Sayings of Mr. Lincoln.

"If slavery is not wrong, then nothing is wrong."

"I made a solemn vow before God, that, if General Lee was driven back from Pennsylvania, I would crown the result by a declaration of freedom to the slaves."

"I have not controlled events; but events have controlled me."

"Let us have faith that right makes might and in that faith let us dare to do our duty."

"I have said nothing but what I am willing to live by, and, if it be the pleasure of Almighty God, to die by."

Continue reading: Our Sins; Their Pardon and Their Blotting Out