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ii'f't"'e'(i,i,' "Sometimes," said a would-be humorist, “I think my jokes are awfully bad. I s'pose that's my modesty 2” "No," was the reply, "that's your common sense!" In Chekiang is reported a 75 per cent. less cultivation and nearly all dens closed; in Yunnan a 30 per cent. decrease in' many districts, also large decreases in Szechuan, Hanan, Anhui, Shantung, Chili, In October, 1907, an edict eaahiered the princess of Jui and Chuang, both of the first order, and the pre- sident and vice president of the censorate for failure to break the habit. They were afterwards re- installed upon representation that they were cured. Two officials in Peking died from the effects of has, tily breaking the habit. In May, 1908, the orders were repeated and the ministry of finance was directed to devise a scheme for replacing the $33,000,000 of income from the opium taxes. Old Timer-ie worst experi- ence I ever had was when we ran but of. port in a gale of wind.” The Amateur-ia/lows! I thought sailors always drank rum." "The planting of the black smoke Ln forbidden," was the imperial edict in China in 1906, and the pro- clamation went forth that there must be a yearly 10 per cent de- crease in cultivation and a 20 per cent. decrease in smoking. Teach- ers and students were commanded to stop the habit in one year, high offieials in three months. and mili, tary offltsers at once. It is estimair. ed that 60 per cent. of Chinamen smoke opium, and yet in the face of that fact marvelous advance has been made. In scores of cities the open sale of the drug has been sup- pressed, and from 10 to 50 per cent. less planting has been done. In not a few towns the local gentry and merchants have taken the matter into their own hands. Manife Stly whe . Cond' . ‘9 there . v. . ition tlt theorie . ." .Sueh a. lhe UPurt ot A tsible t . S it 1s has d Ppeal 0 predict 1mpos- ecided th , ot Quebec empire from hi the policies of the Governor in (3an the Lieutenant- but th 1s personal hi appoint a co unfil has power t .. e future' . istory M , mmISSmnt ' . o 15111g- Prin ls eonsidered prom, (it,t.rtrau' s civie ts21lirl's', investigate classified as“: Chun, the regent i; old réogrstilce Riddell cfiticized th are bein . pro_srressive Sch, 1 [very Save (fuse at London C) I against l established, 'td',' OOslhave “1971‘ng ty threabehednt'é -tlrey",' opiumi . Wan r r - Dy indi . . with vigor ms beiyg Prosecuced’p '/pi,e,mg:1e, were not $3? if 1m- against gra’ft e'.? " an outcry J/guilty,,", Voted down 55:? favored and 'cy":':,',', building is which was: bill, the purpoégtog all worki 6 newspaper a on boa'rds ofpreve-nt aliens act/O circum 111g for reform Unds are disputes o conciliation in my? sent; stances it is heaith er the] The Coroner' . . r iment will be at publits': sor Station s. Jury Ill the Wi factor on the sideQOIfDe a Joi/UL/tfy/tef/r.! tht,Cifi'e,t, at Monks); . o A , ' a1 . Fhat reaction is im PrggresS and 1grs from the chjray‘and Its em- IS very encom‘a . possible. This 6181i ge of careless- . IO . , and it would so: g to the liberals gas gottgwn of Welland will s must, m that the , “ pany for fl . ue the aha affected . country dollars to fteen thousa d ‘terCOurSe . by Its larger . church whi pay for the Meth In, with the W . _ a m. hi ich was bu o 1st tural growth of 11.01"” s'rtlu'l.:i."i-j2, ich the town was rmed, and for sit-druid)--' ' “as oCeirs. iti'iir,?sl,lfi, . compelled to to the Susce 5:375 pttle attention/tfret-: [61:11: Prophets T113: ilitiess of foreigngimployéigag’lvmmnu,£ ttevf Tifii' . asei . . ( 'W-t e :v.}n¢1"" developments 111 IS one-1n which; "res/tton/ei/ods/gl, insa gm COunty, mo ust be awa t . e lemme/d t ne, and will re or less unce tai 1 ed withl, Nova S o. an asylum. there is reason 4 r a1nty, "ilo"iiii,l,rre" opp0s 0:313» coal mine owne dlcial Changes. LO feel that bane ibetWeen .gllisto free trade in 2dl ' t: ar . .. . " co brought about e likely to be!gmtcd States. 'pero', and the . [was of the other P r.epresenea- to favor it. V YOVlnceS seem But a recent dispatch from Pe- king shows that there is much con- fusion over the reasons for his dis- missal. Three theories are advanc- ed-one that he was properly pun- ished for his disloyalty to the em- peror; the second, that he was forced out by the Japanese in the interest of reaction; the third, that the reasons were personal, that he had offended so many people by his arrogance that advantage was taken of the change in the govern- ment to get rid of him. At the time of the Boxer upris- ing all the magazine writers who claimed a, knowledge of Chinese politics proceeded to explain who was who in the big empire. They tackled a long list of strange names which meant nothing to foreigners and endeavored to give some idea cf the persons who bore them. One of these persons was known as Yuan Shi Kai, and he was distrusted because at a critical moment he had betrayed the emperor and play- ed into the hands of the empress dowager. It was conceded that he was an able man, but he was dread- ed as a reactionary. Later he proved his ability in more than one office, and when he was dismissed as grand councilor it was felt that the empire and the cause of pro- gress had suffered a severe loss. 1 CURRENT TOPICS. “>14. The Dominion Coal Company has agreed to settle with the Steel Company on the basis of damages up to Nov. 9, 1906, and a refund of all the excess paid for coal to date. The old contract will be con- tinned. Col. Cooper and his son Robin were found guilty at Nashville, Tenn., of the murder of former Senator Carmack and sentenced to twenty years in prison. add, general It is believed that an assassin blew up the powder works at Coeur D'Alene. Idaho, on Wednesday, killing three men. There are not enough nurses in London to cope with the influenza epidtmie. _ Mr. Reginald McKenna, First Lord of the Admiralty, declared in the British House of Commons that the navy must be maintained at all costs. A bill introduced in the House of Representatives at Washington on Thursday provrdes for orttr-eent letter postage. An ancient city containing about a Lhuusand houses has been dis- covered in the San Jacinto moun- tains in California. " frame shed used by the Hand Fireworks Company at Hamilton was the scene of an explosion on Thursday. One of the employees was blown through the door, but was, not seriously injured. The Dominion Steel and Coal Companies appear to have arrang- ed all their differences, except the point as to the right of the Coal Company to dispute any item in the Steel Company's claim for dam- ages. The Coal Company is pre- pared to hand over two and a half million dollars on that head alone. Britain is said to have made a. proposal to Russia for a political and ftnaneial alliance between the two countries. plg‘e William Gibbs, an architect and inventor, formerly a resident of Canada, committed suicide at New York. Sir John Colomb warns Britain’s colonies that their survival may de- pend on the preparations they make for the naval" defence of the em- Nova Scotia coal mine owners are opposed to free trade in coal between this country and the United States. The representa- tives of the other Provinces seem to favor it. 7 The Coroner's jury in the Win- sor Station accident at Montreal exonerated the railway and its em- ployees from the chargé of careless- ness, The Senate voted down Senator McMullen’s bill, the purpose of which was to prevent aliens acting on boards of conciliation in labor disputes. , T Mr. Justice Riddell criticized the old court house at London, Ont., very severely, and threatened to have the county indicted if im- prgyements were not made soon. Hon. G. P. Graham. Minister of Railways, proposes a. Board of Management, resposible to the Gov- ernment, for the management of the 1ntereolonial Railway. __ W, Herbert Downie, who claimed he was robbed of about one thou- sand dollars in his employer's of- fieo, was found guilty at St. John, N. B., of the robbery. _ The Court of Appeal of Quebec has decided that the Lieutenant- Governor in Council has power to appoint a commission to investigate Montreal's civic affairs. The Northern Commercial Tele- graph Company bas been chartered to build a line from Point Levis to Windsor, and has already let the contract. There is fear of trouble in the Winnipeg building trades, as sev- eral of the unions hav presented demands for increased pay. Enormous fields of ice and ice- bergs are reported in the Atlantic by the officers of the steamer Evan- geline, just arrived at, Halifax: The Richelieu" & Ontario Naviga- tion Company hat, ordered a new steamer to be built at Detroit. - Robert John Thursday at C ing for a blast (g. P. R. western mechanics are preparing new terms to be submit- ted to thq company. - - - The draft estimates for the city of Toronto for 1909 call for an ex- penditure of 86,0s0,705. Robert Johnson was killed on Thursday at Cobalt while charg- CONDENSED NEWS ITEMS Telegraphic Briefs From Our Own and Other Countries ot Recent Events. HAPPENINGS FROM ALL OVER TIIE GLOBE. Party lines will be eliminated in GREAT BRITAIN UNITED STATES CANADA. A despatch from London says: The Standard thinks it is felt in the over-seas dominions that Britain is incapable of providing adequately for the (1eet which is required to protect one-third of the world's coastline. The hard-wrought home tax-payer must obtain assistance from his kindred. The Standard urges, as t'e one condition stipu- lated for such assistance, a defi- nite place for the over-seas States in the Empire's Council of Defence, and concludes: "May we not hope, in spite of all the discouraging signs to the contrary, that there is enough patriotism and public spirit among our politicians to rise above the limitations of party and Co-op- crate in laying the basis of a, true Imperial organization, founded on a joint responsibility for Imperial defence and a joint and equal con- trol of the Imperial sea forces?" Home Tax-payer Looking to Over- seas Dominion for Assistance. London Contractors Awarded Con- tracts for Railway Structures. A despatch from Toronto says: The Temiskaming & Northern On- tario Railway Commission on Wed- nesday received nineteen tenders for a large amount of building to be done at Cochrane City. The contracts for the round-house, ma- chine shop, locomotive foreman's cffice, coal chute and trestle, and reinforced concrete arch culverts, at mile posts 218%. 221. and 222% were awarded to the. Forest City Paving and Construction Company, London. The contract for the in- stalling of the heating system in the round-house and machine shop was given to the Sheldon's Limited of Galt. The lowest tenders were ac- cepted in every case. The work will be commenced as soon as the contracts are drawn up and signed. A despatch from Niagara Falls, N. Y., says: After working on the case for several months, the police have discovered the headquarters cf the gang of valise thieves and car burglars operating on both sides of the border. The headquar~ ters are in a cave on the Lewiston Mountain, in which thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods is thought to be hidden. Detectives on both sides of the river are still working on the case, and arrests are expected within a, day or two. COCHRANE’S NEW BUILDINGS Police at Falls Discover Cave on Lewiston Mountain. The work of clearing up the de- bris in the Windsor station is pro ceeding but slowly. The greater part of the fallen masonry had been removed, but the wreck of the en- gine is lying just as it was. It is the intention of the engineers in charge of the work to lay temporary tracks on which to run the wreck- ed locomotive out after shoving up the girders from below. This will take three or four days. It is a ticklish job. The masons started rebuilding the broken wall on Thursday afternoon. The part of the station which was damaged has been boarded off to keep out the curious public. A despatch from Montreal says: Mark Cunningham, the engineer of the Boston train, which on Wed- nesday crashed through the wall of the iadies' waiting room of the C. RR. Windsor street depot, and tore its way into the general wait- ing room, wrecking a large portion ot the station, died at the General Hospital on Thursday morning at 7.45,. making the fifth victim of the accident. The fireman, Louis Craig, and the other victims, were report- ed to be making good progress, with the exception of John Kozhar, a Russian immigrant, who is suf- fering from a fracture of the skull, and who is still in a critical condi- tion. Fifth Victim of Windsor Depot Wreck at Montreal. The Italian police fear the Mafia may make an attempt on the life of ex-President Roosevelt during his stay in Italy. The Balkan situation remains critical, and it is questionable whe- ther the endeavors of the powers will suStte.d in averting war. The strike ofTrench teiegrapisrs and postman threatens to reduce Paris 1lm?st to f stage of siege. tho United States House of Repre- sentatives in the consideration of the Payne tariff bill. The Empress of Russia, is report- ed to be suffering greatly from nervousness. The French strike is over, and the Government employees resum- eCworlr, 0;; Monday. _ The Shah of Pérsia is taking steps toward .the granting of a third t.sonstity,t.ion to hit people. Persian soldiers are .deirysiating villages along the Rgssmn frontier and butchering the Inhabitants. 2)E3--4rkr CAR BHRGLARS. KINDRED ll UST AID. ENGINEER IS DEAD. GENERAL ' There are many superstitions in connection with Easter, and each country has a custom of celebrating it peculiar to itself, but while each varies, they all unite to observe the spirit of Springtime, and all Chris- tians rejoice that the Lord of Life forever won the victory over death. Among the many quaint supersti- tions is the old Aryan one, whoch typifies the return of the sun of Springtime by golden eggs being distributed at the early equinox by priests, to strengthen the hopes of the people that the bleak, cold days of winter might soon cease, and a brighter time ensue. Tho Persians believed that the earth was hatched from an immense egg on Easter morning; the Ary- ans also believed the sun to be a, large golden egg which was con- stantly rolling nearer to the, earth. With the Jews, the egg became a type of their rescue from the land of bondage, and in their Feast of the Passover, eggs occupied a. t3Oll- spicuous place in the services. It was their connection with the lat- ter that finally caused them to be used by Christians the world over in celebrating Easter-the egg of resurrection, into a, new life bring- ing a message of life from death as it were. While the egg is, to most of us, the most familiar symbol of this season, there is another emblem, beginning to dispute its supremacy for each year seems to make "Br'er Rabbit” more typical to Eastertid-e. As ordered by the Christian church the time of the Easter fes- tival is determined by the moon; and the hare was in ancient, and, especially in Oriental symbology, identical with the moon. The Buddhists have several legends ex- plaining the presence of tho hare in the moon. One is that Indra, disguised as a famished pilgrim, was apparently dying for lack of food, and the hare threw himself into the fire that he might be roast- ed. for which the, grateful Indra immediately translated him to the moon. Committee at Winnipeg Strongly in Favonof the Fair. A . from Winnipeg says: The Se. Jentennial Exposition for Winnipeg -ih 1912 is assured. The committee entrusted with the project on Wednesday decided to recommend that it be proceeded with, and that preparations on an extensive scale, as becomes the im- portance of such a great enterprise, begin at once. The delegation who have been visiting St. Louis, Port- land and Seattle, making observa- tions, have concluded that such, a fair as is proposed is not feasible but eminently desirable. President Gomez of Cuba has de- ciared that the uprising in the is- land is trivial. North Bay, March 23. - After deliberating for about trwenty-five minutes, the jury in the Ryan mur- der case this afternoon found Maurice Ryan guilty of the crime of Cain, in that; he slew his bro- ther, Francis Joseph Ryan, on or about Nov. 18, 1907. The murder was a, particularly oold-blooded one. Ryan killed his brother sole- ly that he might obtain several hundred dollars that he was in pos- session of. He killed his brother treacherously, for tho two men were riding together in a, buggy when the fatal shot was fired. The depth of infamy was reached, how- ever, when, as was shown in evi- dence, Maurice Ryan forged the murdered man's name, that he might secure some money lying to his credit in a bank in New York State. Smoke Was so Dense Guests Could Not Use the Stairs. Cornwall, March 23.--Three men burned to death, two badly in- jured, several others hurt, more or less, and $25,000 worth of property destroyed is the result of the ftre which started in the Windsor Ho- tel shortly before 1 o'clock this morning. The dead are: Raymond Duquette, formerly of Winchester, a. turner by trade, who was em- ployed in the Ross Mills, Cornwall, and George HagIey and John, Gal- len of Philadelphia, Penn., Coopers by trade, who came here a month or so ago to set up vats in the new Cornwall Brewery. Corry St. Clair, an employee of the Canada Bridge Co., who have been rebuild- ing the swing bridge of the Ontario & New York Railway, which went down in the canal break last sum- mer, was badly burned about the face and hands and legs, and is in a critical condition at the Hotel Dieu. George Basso, tailor, jump- ed from a. third-story window and broke his legs, hurt his back, and out his hands and feet. He is in the Hotel Dieu. Others injured were: McMillan Tachnie, Lachine, back injured; ho jumped from the third-story window; Jas. W. Smith of Leadville, Penn., back hurt; J. Mooney and W, Hollister, hand out. Maurice 113mm Convicted ot the Crime of Cain. KILLED HIS OWN BROTHER. LIVES LOST IN HOTEL F SELKIRK CENTENNIAL. EGGS AND EASTER. V. The Means by Which These Great Evils Can be Removed are Precisely the Same as Those which Produced the Marvelous Transfor- mations of Character in the Early Christian Disciples, Which We Have Been Studying. 5. The banding Jogether in an organization which created a help- ful mpral atmosphere, - The other sorrows that floV from the wine cup mentioned in the wise man's questions belong only to wickedness-a quarrelsome dis- position-where strong drink in- flames the passions, and, alt the same time, removes the restraint of bonscience and will, fUrst mad- dening and then unchaining the tiger, grumbling, foolish talking- where the drunkard's "tcmgue is set on fire of hell /' "wounds with- out cause;" "redness of eyes;" either (or both) the dimming of the sight, physical, mental, and spiri- tual, or the "copper nose” which makes “the drinker’s nose blush for the sins of his mouth." IV. Another Obstacle Among the Boys-rrCigyiettes, 1. Christ, our Liviag Leader, the poweLof 9051 £05 s.sa.lvatiom. . power of God tor salvation. 2. The Holy Spirit, convincing men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come; awakening men's hearts, inspiring them to better things. 4. The results as manifested in the healing of the body, and the betterment of the outward life and happiness, which were symbols and means to a better spiritual life. 3. The reTvgious life which these prodee. __ __ - - The woes and sorrows of Peter and John, Paul and Silas, in dungeons and chains, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for Chrisia's sake, with clear consciences, for the sake of the kingdom of God and salvation of men, listening to God's "Well done, good and fa1thful," and see- ing the crown of righteousness are almost infinitely removed from tho woes and sorrows of those that tarry long at the wine, whose suf ferings are the f1 ait of their own sins. . G. The courage, wisdom, gene- rosity, love, peace, joy, religious spirit, righteousness of life, pro- duced in the disciples, . =" 7 Thar efforts lo bring others into these blessings, and to spread the ggod news: , A suit has been entered in Vene- zuela demanding the extradition and trial of ex-President Castro on a, charge of causing the murder of a number of revolutionaries. éDwa good example of the Christians. vBut the difference in the two kinds of suffering is heavtn-yide. Note that other people have woes and sorrows, besides the "':temper- ate man. Apostles awn martyrs have been imprisoned and tortured, have suffered hunger and thirst, endured poverty and sickness and pain. We have studied some m- stances during the past quarter, Read the eleventh chapter of Ire- brews. Read the stories of the HI!gL\ehots in France, "iitaci 193: Qif martyrifand misssonaries of every age. 29. Who hath woe? who hath sor- row b-The words corresponding to the two substantives are, strictly speaking, interjections, as in the margin, Who hath Oh? Who hath Alas? The woes are too great and too many to name separately. They are woes of body and woes of mind; woes in one’s self, woes in his family; pains, diseases, poverty. The one of these forms, the great obstacle which most concerns us in this lesson, is Intempcrance, the want of self-control over the ap- petites and passions. A The wise "man ff the Proverbs expresses the evihs of intemper- ance by arserjes of_q1}est.ion_s. III. The Gréat Obstacle in we Way is sin, bard character in some ot its many forms. - _ ll. There is Material Enough, Money Enough, Mind Enough, in This World, to Make It a Paradise. -The money and talent in any civi- lized city is sufficient if properly used and distributed to make that city an Eden, an Hesperides Gar- den, or the realization of any dream, ancient or modern, of the Golden Age. An would be edu- cated, all would partake of the best things; there would be no slums, no abject poverty. Every , could have all the joy, the wealth, the comforts, the rights, the school privileges which he could use. The one thing needed is the Improved Man to make the social transfor- mation of the world, the eliminat- ing every evil from the character of men, till they are restored to the moral image of God, when each one did all he wished, and wishes but what he ought. A» _ Temperance Lesson. Proverbs 23: 29-35. Golden Text, Prov. 23: 32. Verse 1. The Improved Man, with an Improved Character, is the Essential Means to an Improved World-Ire cannot have a heave-1- ly city unless the inhabitants are of a heavenly character. THE SUNDAY SSHBQL INTEPscAuTIoNAr, LESSON MAR. 28. The women who went with spices to the tomb found the stone lr'i'1ll,gl away, and when they entered the' found not the body. This should teach us that in the graves of those,, we love is nothing; that what wax love has risen above all sense of death and decay. The resurrec- tion of Jesus should teach us that death has no victory over ‘us. We should try so to live, not to be pre- pared for death, but for eternal. life. Did He not say He had‘come that we might have life more 31739.». dantly? We must strive to live that; the Risen Christ shall be seen in our lives. Watch and pray, and and prove to our Father, if not to men, and Christ is in us. The Lord is risen that erst w born -- It Within a manger lowly, And all that e'er was lost or low May now be pure and holy. The Porbe has granted permis- sion to the 60,000 Armenians who fled after the massacres at Con- stantinople to return to Turkey. The cruel buffeting and scorn, The taunt, the malediction, The fever thirst, the crowning thorn, The vain of crucifixion. gay, Sing, bird; ring bell, the story: The Lord indeed is risen to-day, And reigns for us in glory. t He knew the manger and the cross, He knew the grave's dark prison, But now beyond all woe and lost Our glorious Lord hath risen, This sacred festival is celebrated with devotion in all lands. In Rus- sia the Christians salute each other with a kiss and the words, "Christ is risen"; the response, "He is risen, indeed.” In Germany, mills, factories and schools are closed on Thursday and Friday. Good Fri- day being considered the most, sac- red day of the year, on that day black and dark colors are worn, but on Easter very bright colors, as befitting the day. In Northern England, the men claim the privi- lege of lifting every woman three times from the ground, receiving in payment a kiss or a, silver ssix- pence. " . . . Bring flower and leaf and garland Twenty sailors were drowned may: Rotterdam when the German ship Margretha was sunk in a col. mien with another vessel, There are many beautiful legends regarding Easter and the custom- of coloring eggs, one of which is that near by the cross on Calvary, in some sheltered place, a mother- bird sat brooding on her nest, and the scene of sorrow and cruelty so wounded her tender heart that she grieved and mourned, and finally left-her nest amluhsr-uuzytue, of pain and wickedness, and they who looked into the nest, found the eggs colored with drops of blood as ie from the mother's heart. St. Paul calls Christ; "our Peach.” What is the significance of the egg (called pasch or pace egg), so universally used as an Easter token, For untold ages the egg has been the type of life and its changed color should be to us, a type, that those who know this resurrection in their own hearts, should show forth lives changed in theif toloririr and "is-fi-dt-of-am-s-iii- --good works. As yet the day had no name; but all through Germany there was a. period of time set apart for the worship of the goddess of spring (Osara, Easter). The church en- deavored to give a spiritual Signi- fieance to the rites it could not eradicate. Joy at the awakening of nature from the depths of wiar- ter, came to be known as the type of joy at the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, and the resurre0- tion of Jesus from the tomb Tho refining ii1fluenees of the Christian life were felt, the methods of ob serving the day were gradual! changed from the rude burning bonfires to a more quiet, and beau- tiful manner; the time from eight days to three, then to one. For many years the ()hri churches of the East, which IC largely of converted Je , 'serv the Passover SunAyyfthe Western Churches observéa the Sunday fol- lowing, The Council of Nice de- cided that the Sunday following the Jewish Passover should be obser _ ed. It wag. also decided that Ea] ter Sunday should be the first; Sun-" day after the first full moon after the twent,y-fhrst of March. The Easter limits are March 22nd and April 25th. , From the. Gospels we learn that after Jesus the Christ had eaten the Passover supper He went into the garden where He was betrayed, was taken from thence, tried and crucified, and as He had told Bis disciples on the thud day He arosei and it is to celebrate this resurrec- tion that Easter is observed. A o+citty+ty+tyttytxi-o+ -es+trtiy+cytcriota:yt my; AN EASTER CAROL EASTER "EEWQEB