CHURCH MOORINGS. An old sea captain was riding in the cars, and a young man sat down by his side. He said: "Young man, where are you going?" "I am going to Philadelphia to live." "Have you letters of introduction?" "Yes," said the young man, and he pulled some of them out. "Well," said the old sea captain, "have you a church certificate? "O yes," replied the young man; "I did not suppose you desired to look at that." some "Yes," said the sea captain, "I want to see that. As soon as you reach Philadelphia present that to Christian Church. I am an old sailor, and I have been up and down in the world; and it is my rule, as soon as I can get into port, to fasten my ship fore and aft to the wharf, although it may cost a little wharfage, rather than have my ship out in the stream, floating hither and thither with the tide."Presbyterian. NOT BY MIGHT. Often among men it has been the gentlest, most quiet ministrations which have produced the greatest results. When Edward had starved Calais into And the king answered: "Lady, I would rather you had been otherwhere. You pray so tenderly that I dare not refuse you; and though I do it against my will I give them to you." So the lives of the men were spared, the peace of the city was saved, and the honor of the king and the English people was preserved; "not by might nor by power but by the spirit of a woman's prayer."-Alexander McKenzie. PECULIARITIES OF LANGUAGE. hat," which it certainly is, and a grassThe Germans call a thimble a "fingerhopper a "hay-horse." A glove with them is a "hand-shoe," showing evidently, that they wore shoes before gloves. Poultry is "feather-cattle; while the names for the well-known substances, "oxygen" and "hydrogen,' are in their language "sour stuff and "water-stuff." The French, strange to say, have no verb "to stand," nor can a Frenchman speak of "kicking" any one. The nearest approach, in his politeness, he makes to it, is to threaten to "give a blow with his foot," the either case, but it seems to want the same thing probably to the recipient in directness, the energy, of our "kick." Neither has he any word for "baby," nor for "home," nor "comfort." The terms "upstairs" and "downstairs" are also unknown in French. surrender, and held the city which he had so long besieged, it was in his power to destroy it; but the people preserved their city and preserved their lives "not by might." He said that he A young man once picked up a sovwould spare the city if six of the citi-ereign lying in the road. Ever afterzens would give themselves into his hands; and six of the leading men came out, stripped of their raiment, every man with a halter about his neck. They bore the keys of the city; they threw themselves at the king's feet; they gave themsel es unreservedly into his hands and asked for his mercy. They were answered with a call for the executioner. There were his knights and there his great army, but they had no power over him. He was the mon arch and all power was with him. Then Philippa knelt at his feet and cried: "Ah, gentle sire, now pray I and beseech you, with folded hands, for the love of our Lady's Son, to have mercy upon them." ward, as he walked along, he kept his eyes steadily fixed on the ground, in the hope of finding another. And, in the course of a long life, he did pick up, at different times, a good amount of gold and silver. But all these days, as he was looking for them, he saw not that heaven was bright above him, and nature was beautiful around. He never once allowed his eyes to look up from the mud and filth in which he sought the treasure, and when he died, a rich old man, he only knew this fair earth of ours as a dirty road to pick up money from, as you walk along. THE greater your privileges, the greater your debt. "A man often deserves more credit How easy it is to purpose good things, for holding on to a dwindling school, great things! How difficult it is to or a scanty teachers' meeting, or a thin- achieve that which is good and great! ning class, than if he held on where When we recogonize anew our failure in things moved briskly and numbers the line of our noblest endeavors, or of were at their highest. Any worker, in our highest opportunities, we are prompt a live Sunday-school or in a dead-and-to feel and to say that this shall never alive one, ought to do his best to secure be again. But it is—again, and again, an improvement in his charge; but the and yet again. poorer the condition of the school the greater the need, and hence the possible value of his work. It is a shame for a Sunday-school worker to close a school, to suspend a teachers' meeting, "The wave is mighty, but the spray is weak! Break in the spray of nothing." A GOOD EXAMPLE. or to give up a class, on the ground It is good to purpose wisely. It is better of its sickliness. The writer once to perform faithfully.-S. S. Times. visited a poverty-stricken home, where he saw an emaciated little child lying in evident neglect on an uncleanly bed. Asking the mother if a physician had seen that child, he learned Etta had just returned from Sundaythat nothing was being done for the school, and was delighted. "I have little one. "And why not? he inquir- just planted my fifty-second P!" she ed. "Ah! it's a sickly one. It's not exclaimed. worth the raising," was the cold-blooded response. That mother didn't propose to waste her strength on a dead andalive little one. And she was of much the same spirit as a Sunday-school worker who abandons his charge because of its sickliness. CHARITY, courteousness, condescension and kindness, are required and produced by real religion. 66 "Your fifty-second pea!" said her mother. Why, don't you know that this is not the time of year to plant peas?" "Oh, I don't mean peas to eat, but P's for 'Present.' The superintendant says I have fifty-two P's for 'Present,' and no A's for Absent.' He says I have planted one P every Sunday for one year; and now I am going to begin on the second year." OUR CABINET. THE ZWINGLI FESTIVALS. Protestantism appeared about to rush into wild fanaticism, he stood like a Many of the Reformed Churches rock in his defence of the Holy Scriphave recently celebrated the four hun- tures as our only rule of faith and dredth anniversary of the birth of Ulric practice. In Germany the church was Zwingli. It has been the privilege of compelled to depend for protection on the editor of THE GUARDIAN to partic- the princes, who at once assumed to a ipate in a considerable number of these position which the bishops were comfestivals, some of them held in cities pelled to vacate; but in Switzerland and others in the country. He has also the republican form of government renbeen compelled to decline many invita- dered it necessary that more attention tions which it would have been delight- should be devoted to ecclesiastical orful to accept if other engagements had ganization. Hence we have "the free not stood in the way. Wherever he church in the free state" Protestant went he found the church profoundly Synods were there for the first time interested in this celebration. The convened, and a system of church govchurches were beautifully decorated, ernment introduced which rendered the and the people heard with thankfulness what God had done for their fathers in the days of old. age. We think these festivals cannot fail to have an excellent effect. While there is no disposition to exalt the Swiss Reformer to a position which does not of right belong to him, the example of his heroic self-sacrifice is of special advantage to the church of the present We are too apt to undervalue our religious privileges, and to manifest an unwillingness to make sacrifices in their behalf. As Dr. Chapin says: "This is an age in which religion de lights to walk in velvet slippers." In Zwingli we have an example of a man who renounced earthly advantages of the highest order and cheerfully suffered and died for the cause of truth. The history of such a man is a reproof to the indolence and cowardice of many modern Christians, and should encourage us to choose "the shame of Christ" in preference to all the glory of the world. Reformed Church especially suited for the work of missions. It was by its missionary enterprises in foreign lands that it also became "the church of the martyrs." The chief glory of the Reformed Church appears to us to be the fact that it constantly intones the presence of the Holy Spirit as the medium of heavenly gifts aud graces. In this way we learn to appreciate the fact that the spiritual is real and abiding while the material is temporary and evanescent. Thus we come to know that though Christ is in heaven and we on earth we are nevertheless "flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone." It is true that this doctrine was elaborated by Calvin and Ursinus, but these men built on the foundation which had been laid by Ulric Zwingli. The state celebrates the birthdays of its greatest men. That of Washington will be observed as long as the republic endures. Is it not proper that the birthdays of the heroes of the church The church of the present generation should also be kept in proper rememdoes not fully realize how much it owes brance? Four hundred years have to the Swiss Reformation. At a time passed since Zwingli was born in an when superstition had almost every- obscure Alpine village. Since that time where taken the place of religion and great changes have occurred. Nations the church seemed about to fall into have come into existence and become heathenism, the wonderful eloquence of extinct. Is it not wonderful that on a Ulric Zwingli led men to the recognition continent whose name was hardly of the nature of true worship. When known to Zwingli we should unite in doing honor to his memory? Surely, in a sense which the great Reformer did not anticipate, his dying words have received a prophetic fulfillment, "They may kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul." COSTLY BOOKS. A bookseller in New York offers for sale copies of the first four editions of the works of Shakspeare, printed between 1623 and 1685. These books are very rare, and are not without present value. They vary greatly from each other, and each has many typographical errors. All these variations must be considered by those who would minutely study the obscure passages of the greatest of poets. For this reason the librarians of great public libraries would regard these volumes as a precious addition to their stores, and there are also many private individuals who would be proud to possess them. The price demanded for these volumes is four thousand five hundred dollars, which, it is claimed, is considerably less than the same books brought at public sale some time ago. To most persons it would seem the extreme of folly to pay such an enormous price for four old books, and in a general way this judgment would be correct. Yet there is another point of view from which the subject may be regarded. There are millionaires in New York who would not hesitate to pay three or four times as much for a horse that was supposed to be a little faster than all others. This is folly too, of course, but how many people there are who would con sider the purchase of these rare volumes as a piece of unmitigated foolishness and yet are filled with envy for the men who are able to spend a much larger sum in buying fast horses. And yet of these two pieces of folly the latter is probably the greater. The virtuoso who purchases the first editions of Shakspeare will, at any rate, escape the risk of breaking his neck. God's goodness will live when all friends die, therefore it should be the object of our dependence and confidence. OUR BOOK TABLE. ROBERT OF MARSEILLES; OR, THE Crusade OF THE CHILDREN. From the German of H. Kletke. Translated by Rebecca H. Schively. Philada. Lutheran Publication Society, 1883. Price $1.00. This is a pleasant story based on the legend of the Children's Crusade, as related by ancient chroniclers. The author has made the most of his materials, and the book gives a vivid picture of the period when even children from the hands of the Saracen. Though it is were fired with zeal to recover the Holy Land probable that the details of the Children's Crusade have been greatly exaggerated by early historians, the legend is so romantic that it cannot fail to be interesting to all classes of readers. Miss Schively is an excellent translator. Her English style is so charming that the reader can hardly resist the impression that the story is original. The translator has, indeed, appended some original chapters on the history of the crusades, which are by no means the least valuable portion of the book. The facts have been gathered from the best authorities, and are related in a manner that is both interesting and instructive. THE CENTURY ILLUSTRATED MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR JANUARY, 1884. more than usually interesting. An illustrated The present number appears to us to be article on "Edinboro Old Town," by Andrew Lang, has pleased us greatly as depicting with great accuracy scenes which we have had the Winners," a story which has attracted much privilege of personally visiting. "The Bread attention, is concluded. Other interesting articles are " Dr. Sevier," by Geo. W. Cable; "Husbandry in Colonial Times," by Edward Eggleston; and "The Log of an Ocean Stuexcellent portrait of General Sherman. dio," by C. C. Buel. The frontispiece is an HALF HOURS WITH THE LESSONS OF 1884. By Twenty-four Presbyterian Clergymen. Phila., Presbyterian Board of Publication. Price $1.50. This is a handsome volume, consisting of brief discourses on the International lesson series of the present year. The eminence of the authors vouches for the excellence of their productions. To earnest Sunday School workers the volume must prove exceedingly valuable. also due for copies of the To the Presbyterian Board our thanks are "Westminster Question Book" and "Westminster Lesson Questions" for the present year. THE MOUNTAIN BOY OF WILDHAUS. A Life of Ulric Zwingli. By Rev. David Van Horne, D. D. Philadelphia: Reformed Church Publication Board, 1884. In the preparation of this volume Dr. Van Horne has performed a genuine service to the Reformed church. As our people have be come interested in the career of the Swiss Reformer, it is but natural that they should desire to know more about him than can be learned by means of the discourses which Above all how watchful should they be were delivered at the recent Zwingli festivals. that the light of their own example as In this volume the story is told in a manner followers of Christ should not be eclipsed that cannot fail to be interesting. We seem to behold the lofty mountains of Switzerland, by any inconsistency of conversation or and to feel the fresh breezes of that glorious conduct!-Sunday School World. land. We heartily commend the "Mountain Boy of Wildhaus" to our readers, and hope the book may be extensively circulated. THE GOLD SEEKER. From the German, by the Rev. Levi C. Sheip, A. M. Philada.: Lutheran Board of Publication, 1883. Price 80 cents. This new volume of the " Fatherland Series" possesses the best qualities of its predecessors. It tells the story of two brothers, one of whom, fired by the lust of gold, left a beautiful home in Germany and went to California where he endured great privations and experienced many stirring adventures. We will not destroy the treat that is in store for our youthful readers by giving an outline of the story. The moral is, "Be contented and you are fortunate." Mr. Sheip's translation is excellent, and fully reproduces the spirit of the original. LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. A story of the Franco-German War. Translated from the German by Alice F. Burk. Phila.: Lutheran Publication Society, 1883. Price 90 cents. This book, which, like the preceding, is included in the Fatherland series, claims to be the autobiography of a French girl, who, in the midst of the terrors of war, was brought to the knowledge of the Lord. Though of a more sombre cast than most of the other books of this series, it is full of stirring incidents, and the lessons which it teaches are of the highest order. ST. NICHOLAS for January is on our table. It is fully up to its predecessors in quality and quantity of matter and illustrations. We know of no better magazine of the kind than it. It is well adapted for the entertainment and instruction of children and youths. Published by The Century Co., New York. "PLEASE, sir, I suppose somebody put a good thought in the best boy's heart when he was growing!" Such was the explanation given by a boy to his superintendent why the subsequent careers of two boys who began life in much the same circumstances were so far severed the one being good and the other bad; the one being happy and honored, the other being miserable. and neglected. So long as the statement of holy writ is "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts," how careful parents and teachers should be in implanting germs in the minds of children which will produce not only purity of thought but truth of speech and action! "What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter."-St. John 13: 7. Christian when the storm clouds gather Dark and wild upon thy way, Though the bitter cup of sorrow To thy lips be often pressed, For "thou shalt hereafter know." If thy curious mind would fathom That which God alone may know; From the Father's throne above. From the labors and the tears Though thou may not see below Yet "thou shalt hereafter know." -Selected. |