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^ir STATEMENT OF THE LOHD Tho Bible Closes With a Bright Promise for the Future. And there shall bo no more curse.â€" Ilev. xxii. 3. That Gereaia should be related to Kevelations, although sixteen hundred years of time, with all their development and change, sep- arated them, is a thing at once â- triking and inexplicable, except on the hypothesis that some great pow- er saw to it that through the pages one increasing purpose ran. No- where is this relationship more strongly and strikingly shown than in the consideration of that with which the Bible begins and ends. Genesis,' after a poetic and beau- tiful description of the creation of men and things, begins with tho curse that was laid upon mankind. However it may be accounted for theologically or philosophically, the fact that the world has been cursed is easily apparent. It is also un- disputc'l that man in some dim, dumb, inchoate way has always striven to lift the curse, and it is equally true that as age has suc- ceeded age some amelioration of conditions has gone on very un- satisfactorily at tirHt and with mea- ger results, considering the vast expenditure of life and effort. But it has gone on and it is going on. THAT IS EVOLUTION. But tho gift which actually made It po.ssible in any practicable way \o lift the curse upon man is Jesus Christ. In His life, in His example, 5n His teachings are to be found \he ouly possible means of really greatly bettering the world, and in proportion as they are perceived more clearly, entered into more thoroughly, understood and prac- tised more obediently, the work progresses. Some day dirt and disease will .disappear. Some day poverty and inequality will be done away with. Some day lust aud greed will bo forgotten. Some day love and light will prevail. Some day the curse of these things and of whatever drags men down shall be lifted. This is not inference ; it is the di- rect, positive, unequivocal state- ment of the Lord. It is a declara- tion from God himself through Jesus Christ, His Son, uttered in the la»t recorded wor<l3 He ad- dressed to the children of men when He spoke to St. John in the visions of Patmos. Amid wondrous declarations, in the form of allegory, concerning the New Jerusalem, which is held be- f'>re man's hope, there is one plain, grim, simple line thrown amid the poetry stamped across its mysti- ci.Hm like a bar of steel laid on the peal of a flower, abrupt, almost harsh in its lack of harmony with all that goes before and yet the more tremendously impressive for that very fact, for it is almost THE LAST WORD OF JESUS to His children which you may find in tha last chapter of Revelations â€" the explicit declaration that "There shall be no more curse." I think that the very fact that the Bible begins with a curse and ends with its lilting is one of the most tremendous of the many mar- velous divine attributes of the great volume. Tho world reoling on in its dim, blind way, reaching after God, lifting up the bleeding hands of toil and struggle in petition, its sweat-covorcd brow lighted by hope, with what patience it can summon in its throbbing heart is enabled to proceed because it has the prorai.se of the world of God, Who is absolute truth, that some day, in His own good time, the curse under which man has always labored shall be lifted once and for all. Speed that day, Lord, and in the meanwiiile let us each one here in our several stations do what we can with Thee for our help, our inspir- ation, our guide to lift the curse upon our brethren and ourselves now, to-day. Cyrus Townsend Brady. THE S. S. LESSON IMERNATION.VL LESSON, JAN. 'ii. l'.-s.';«n IV. Th« Lame Man Ucalcd. Golden Tc.\t, Acts 3. 16. Vorse 1. Peter and John â€" The aclmowledged leaders of tho apos- tolic company, and men having much more in common than is sometimes supposed. Both were tji'ically Galileans in teniperanient, quick in speech and decisive in ac- tion. They were leaders because of Iraits of character which natural- ly corunia"id a following. Going into the templeâ€" Thus far there was no thought in the minds of the Christians of forsaking the Hebrew faitli. The earliest disci- ples were all loyal Jews, devoted to the 8er\ices of the temple, and faithful in their observance of the rit*;8 and ordinances of their na- tional faith. The hour of prayerâ€" The hour for the regular afternoon service of i-rayer in the temple, correspond- ing somewhat to an early vesper service in many churches to-day. The ninth hourâ€" About three o'clock in the afternoon. 2. The doorâ€" Or gateway. Which is called Beautiful â€" This Vio"r?~AF^"-^'-' reference, identifies the gate refer tcxl te with the east- ern doorway leading from tho court «f the women into the iuncr court of tlie sanctuary. To ask almsâ€" The sight of lame •nd blind beggars is still common in all parts of the Orient. 4. Fastening his eyes upon himâ€" looking at him attentively and, no iouht, sympathetically. 6. In the name of Jesus ("hrist of KazHifHh-Literally "the Nazar- •on. " The name in this case is •quivalcnt to the authority of the ferson referred to. Thus in the Old Testament the nama of Jeho- vah is used in a similar way. 10. Took knowledge of himâ€" Re- cognized that it was he. 11. Held Peter and John -Cling lug to his benefactors, as was but natural under the circumstances. Till- poichâ€" The "portico." That is called Solom<m's- This ^irtii-o, or colonnade, was one run- aing along the eastern side of the 0loni))l«'. Here Jfsu.s had been challenged by the Jews to speaK «ore plainly conceniiug himsjlf ond his Messianic mission (compa c John 10. 22f.). 12. .U this manâ€" Or, at th's "thing." .\s though by our own power o' fodlinoss we had made him to walk â€"Peter would have his hearers un- fcpKt.tnd the reiM significanse of tbe inir.Tolo which was but a part of the Klorilici.tion of Jesus, whijli eontrcW III Cod's having raised him from the dead. 15. i littoo of Ufaâ€" "Author ot Ha." Whereofâ€" "Of whom." 17. In ignorance ye did itâ€" Paul in his first letter to Timothy (1 Tim. 1. 13) pleads this same ignorance as the ground for bis having obtained mercy. Thus it appears that the Jewish people as a whole had not realized the gravity of the offense committed in bringing about the doath of Jesus. It was this igno- rance on the part of the majority of the nation which at first made the apostles hopeful of a general na- tional repentance, such as Peter pleads for in verse 19 below. la. By the mouth of all the pro- phetsâ€" All those who prophesied concerning the coming of the Mes- siah. He thus fulfil! ?dâ€" The hatred of a few of the Jewish leaders and the ignorance of the many were thus providentially used to bring about the fulfillment of prophecy. 20, 21. That he may send tho Christ- The hope thus expressed by Peter reflects the general expecta- tion of the Christian community in apostolic times of an early return of Jesus and a consequent restora- tion of all things, that is, a re- establishmcnt of the Jewish nation- al independence under the person- al rule of the Christ. 22. Moses indeed saidâ€" The refer- ence is to Deut. 18. 15. which reads: "Jehovah thy (Jud will raise up un- to thee a prophet from the midst ot thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.-" 23. Jii&By â-  son! tiiat shall not -heat-ken to that prophetâ€" Pet^er has in mind the statement of Dent. 18. 19, following the prophecy just al- luded to. This sta lenient in Deu- teronomy reads : ".And it shall come to pas.s, that who.-^oever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, 1 will re- quire it of him." 25. And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blensed â€" iCompare Gen. 12. 3; 22. 18; 26. 4; 28. 14, which passages contain the original promises of God to Abra- ham. 26. Unto yon first-Tlie blessings of the Messianic kingdom are to be world-wide, but the prophetic pro- mises referring to these blessings have a peculiar significance for and claim on every member of tho Hebrew race. Sent him to bless you â€" The work of Jesus was prinwiiily among his own people, and imly through these did the gospel message ultimately reach others also. A FAITHFUL BAND. Rcniai'kalilu Stoi-y of Two Tears' Trial and Struggle. Many in.stances of remarkable gallantry and devotion to duty are to be found in the "Story of the Guides," by Col. G. J. Younghus- band. At present this is a corps of native East Indians, fourteen hun- dred strong, with twenty-seven British officers. King Edward is colonel-in-chief. It was raised in 1846, to furnish not only £ghter8, but also men who could, at a mo^ ment's notice, act as guides to troops in the field and to collect trustworthy information. As it was for service, and not for show, tho time-honored scarlet of the British army was laid aside for the dust- colored uniform now known aa khaki. In one of their expeditions on the northwestern frontier, from the tribes of which many of tho men were enlisted, they camped near a village, the home of one of the guides. His relatives and friends entreated him not to fight against them, and a favorable opportunity coming, he deserted, and carried with him two rifles. "How many men of that man's tribe arft there in tho regiment?" demanded the commander. Colonel Jenkins, when the fact was report- ed to him. It was found there were seventeen, all told. "Parade them all here," said the colonel ; and they were duly sum- moned and paraded in line. "Now take off every scrap of uni- form or equipment that belongs to the sircar." Each man did as he was bid, and placed the little pile in front of him on the ground. "You can now go, and don't let me see your faces again till you bring back those two rifles." He hoped that they might over- take the fugitive, but ho was dis appointed. Day followed day and week succeeded week, but no news came of pursued or pursuers. The matter had been forgotten ; the vacancies had long since been filled ; indeed, two whole years had passed, when one day there walked into Mardan cantonment a ragged, rough-bearded, hard-bitten gang of seventeen men, carrying two rifles. It was the lost legion. Of those two years' trial and struggle, wounds received and giv- en, a ctark, unburied corpse here and there on the mountainside, days in ambush and bitter nights of silent, anxious watch, they spoke but little ; but their faces beamed with honest pride as their spokes- man simply said : "The sahib told us never to show our faces again until we found the rifles, and hero they are. Now, by your honor's kindness, wo will again enlist and serve tho queen." In the northern part of India sheep are used as beasts of bur- den. Hoganâ€" "Have ye hcar-rd m« daughter Mona sing lately 1" Du- gan â€" "Both lat-<^ly an' earlier, be- dad ! 'Tis th' fine instrumintal music she do make." Hogan â€" "Ye ignoramus. Shure, singin' ain't in- sthruniintal music!" Dugan â€" "Be- gorra, thin, Keegan towld me it wu/ insthrumintal in causin' him t' move two sthreoto away from yor houso !" THE CREDITOR WORRIED. OTcrscnsitlTe About a Debtor Who Took Time (o Pay Up. Well, thank goodness, there's one man I can meet now without feel- ing uncomfortable," tho man said. "How's thatl" asked his com- panion. "Did you owe him money and settle up 1" "Just the other way round," said the speaker. "He owed me a small sum of money for more than a year. "I met him a great deal, and sev- eral times he dunned himself about the money, but he never paid. Af- ter a whilo I got BO I didn't like to meet him, because I felt all the time ha was saying to himself, 'I owe this man money and he knows I ought to pa.y and still he doesn't like to rcmiiid me.' "Absolutely it got so I would go blocks out of the way to avoid him. I felt J-l\«Jt he felt ha never could mention spending money for any- thing when he was in my presence without my feoling that that money ought to have gone to pay the debt he owed me. "Maybe he didn't feel that way about it at all, but I felt that way, and now I'm glad he has paid up, so that in this detail at least I am comfortable in my mind." WHY DID SHE MARRY I Was it- Because she wanted a home of her own t Because she dreaded a lonesome old age 1 Because she wanted influence and social position 1 Because she was afraid of being called an old maid t Because she needed someone to earn her clothes t Because she was misunderstood by her parents 1 Because she was afraid some other girl would get himi Because not to marry would look peculiar and unsociable 1 Because he urged her to, and she had nothing else in particular to do? Because she was infatuated by his figure and flattered by hia atten- tions 1 Because she thoughts she saw in him qualities no one else had dis- covered ? Because she actually loved him, and believed she could add to bis happiness and welfare) (N. B.â€" Thu is sometimes the reason, of ooursa.) A DAY WITH THE KIi% MOW HIS MAJKSTY SPENDS niS TIME IN LONDON. Generally T-nderstood That Ho Is One of the Uardosl-workcd Ilcn to Hisi Kingdom. Though by no means one who re- tires to bed early â€" it is usuajly af- ter midnight before King Edward goes to his own room â€" he is astir at an hour that would surprise those who have not been brought into close contact with him. After a cup of coh'ee and a roll, when at Buckingham Palace His M*i*''^y makes his way to what might bo termed his "office," a large apart- ment on the first floor overlooking tho beautiful gardens, and proceeds to go through such papers and do- cuments as be may not have had time to examino on t'ue provious night. NEWS FROM THE HOUSE. Every night the King receives, no matter whore he may be staying, from the Prime Minister or some other member of the Cabinet ap- pointed to do tho work for him, an account of what has transpired in the House of Commons during the sitting, and this His Majesty reads with the closest attention. When he has gone through this, and not- ed any points of special interest, it is passed on in due course to Lord KnoUys, tho King's private secre- tary and right hand, who has it filed carefully away so that it may be available for instant reference. THE KING'S OFFICE. The room in which the King transacts his work at Buckingham Palace is a very spacious one and furnished with the utmost simpli- city. In one of tho windows stands a large knee-hole writing-table for the King's use, and upon this are placed small piles of paper in per- fect order and one or two despatch boxes in royal red leather. In front of this table stands an arm- chair of comfortable dimensions, while another smaller tablo stands close at band bearing pipes, cigar- ettes, cigars, etc., since the King is rather a heavy smoker. At the other side of the room is a very large roll-top desk, at which Lord Knollys works, and here is also tho telephone that enables communi- cation to be held with every other portion of the Palace, as well as another connected with the Central Exchange. A third writing-table has recently been placed in this room for the accommodation of the Prince of Wales, who has lately taken over a large amount of the work formerly attended to by the King in person, and His Royal Highness visits tho Palace every morning when in London for this purpose, usually arriving between 11 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. The King breakfasts about 9.30 a.m., and then takes a walk through the Palace grounds for about an hour, usually accompanied only by bis favorite fox-terrier, though sometimes he is joined by one of his equerries. His Majesty takes very great interest in gardening, and often pauses to watch tho men at work in the grounds. WHEN REAL WORK BEGINS. It is about eleven o'clock that His Majesty commences tho real work of tho day. By this time his secretaries have opened and ar- ranged in its proper order tho enormous correspondence that ar- rives at the Palace for His Majesty every morning. This collection of letters is really amazing, and ranges, probably, from a holograph letter from some European Sovere- ign to the incoherent writings of that largo number of weak-minded people who seek to got some real or fancied grievance remedied by an appeal to the King. The whole of this corrcspondenco passes through the hands of Lord Knollys first of all, and is carefully sifted before being passed on to His Ma- jesty, so that it may be said at onco that no letter, however it may be addressed, can possibly reach the King unless his private secre- tary considers it of sufficient im- portance to warrant His Majesty's personal attention. As might be expected, appeals upon behalf ot charitable institu- tions form a very large portion of the King's correspondence. These are all carefully examined by his private secretary, and a list of the appeals received is carefully pre- pared for the King's inspection. This list shows the name and ad- dress of the charity, tho precise ob- ject for which the money is requir- ed, how much the King or tho Queen have previously subscribed, together with other details, and here and there a remark from Lord Knollys. His Majesty then nijtes on the margin tho amount he wish- es to subjcribc, and cheques are forwarded in due course by Sir Dighton Probyn, the Keeper of tho King's Privy Purse. WHEN MINISTERS ARRIVE. Scarcely is the morning corre- spondence dealt with than import- ant public officials, members of the Cabinet, etc., begin to arrive to. have audience with the King. Hisj Majesty keeps in very close touch | with all that transpires in every j Government department, and but, littls escapes bis notice, and it is rarely that a day passes without the King receiving at least one ir.em- bor of the Government. As a rule these audiences last for about twen- ty minutes, but upon occasions they are considerably longer. In addi- tion to Cabinet Ministers the King has frequent audiences with the permanent officials of the various departments, such as Sir Charles Hardings, Permanent Under-Secre- tary at the Foreign Office, Earl Roberts, Sir John Fisher, General Sir W. G. Nicholson, etc., and fol- lows events in the Army and Navy very closely, AFTERNOON VISITS. The afternoon is usually sp^nt in visiting of one kind or another, or in filling public engagements away from the Palace, but the interval between tea and dinner usually finds tho King back at his writing- table once more dealing witli mat- ters that have cropped up since tho morning. Dinner is served be- tween eight and nine upon ordinary occasions, and the evening, as a rule, is then spent at one of the theatres. The foregoing is but a brief out- line of the manner in which the King spends his day when in Lon- d<in ; but more often than not there are many other important duties to be got through â€" such as levoes, investitures. Court balls, ond so on, all of which make very great de- mands upon both His Majesty's time and physical strength, and it is only by the adoption of a thor ougli busiiioss system, and the ob- servance of a regular life, that the King is able to carry out his oner- ous duties month by month and year by year. â€" London Tit-Bits. CURED BY STRATEGY. How a Great Doclor Treated a Man of Wealth. Of the eminent physicians of Eng- land during the early part of the last century not one was more just- ly celebrated than Dr. Sydenham. Of the anecdotes of his medical ex- perience, related by himself, the fol- lowing is worth telling. For a long time the doctor had been consulted by a gentleman of wealth and leisure who was persis- tent in his demands for medical help, who took all the medicines prescribed, but who did not appear to improve. At length Dr. Syden- ham said to him : â€" "Sir, I have done all I can do. It you would be thoroughly cured you must consult Dr. Robinson, at Inverness, in Scotland. He is ex- ceedingly clever in such diseases as yours; and if I give you a letter to him, I can assure you he will give you relief." It was a long journey from Lon- don away to tho extreme North of Scotland, but the patient had plen- ty of leisure ; he had money enough, he had good horses and carriages, and, above all, he was anxious to be cured. Bo away he went. But, arrived at Inverness, after a laborious jaunt of fully three weeks, ho searched for Dr. Robin- son in vain. He could find no such doctor. And, what was more, ha was credibly informed that such a doctor had never lived there. Tho patient bottled up his wrath, had his horses harnessed and their heads turned homeward, and the distance which had occupied him three weeks in going he covered in ten days on his return. Upon reach- ing London he made at onco for tho houso of Dr. Sydenham, upon whom he burst like a whirlwind. "Ha! Sir George; I am glad to see you, and to see you looking so well." "But no thanks to you, you grace- less rascal. Why did you deceivo mo?" "Deceive you, Sir George T' . "Yes. You told mo I should find Dr. Robinson, and you knew there was no such man there. Now, what is your excuse? What your expla- nation?" "Sir Goorge, answer mo. Aro you not bettor now than you havo boon before for years? In short, are you not entirely recovered from that old malady i" The baronet thought a little, and was forced to confess that such was tho caso. "That, sir, is my excuse; that my explanation," returned tho physi- cian, frankly. "I knew that a jour- ney into the Highli^nds of Scotland would cure you, and I took the only moans in my power to send you off. Had I told you tho truth you would not have gone ; but to see Dr. Rob- inson you were willing to venture. So, Sir George, let us bless Dr. Robinson." And Sir George surrendered. 4. THE HISTORY OF NIAGARA. Dr. J. W. Spencer, who has made a- specialty of tho study of the geo- logical history of the Niagara gorge and falls, returned to this subject at the July meeting of the American Association. He believes that about 3,500 years ago the drainage of Lake Huron was turn- ed into Lake Erie, thus vastly in- creasing the eroding power of Niagara. It had taken 35,500 years for the gorge to eat back from Lake Ontario to the point where the falls were situated when tho Huron discharge was added. Five hundred years after that the falls reached the Whirlpool. Between 2,000 and 2,500 years ago they were passing the site of tho Whirlpool Rapids. The rapids thomselvos were cnraploted loss than 300 yoara ago SPEED OP VARIOUS VEHICLES.' Table of Hpeed 31 ado on Land bj Vehicles, Horses and Men. For convenience in comparing speeds made on land by rsrious ve« hides, as well as by horses and men, the following table has been prepared : For the mile : â€" • Electric locomotive, 27s, 1903. Automobile, 23'/^b, 1909. Steam locomotive, 32s, 1893. Motor-paced cycle, lin 6 l-5s, 1904. Bicycle, uupaced, Im 40 2-58, 1004, Running horse, 1.3t)%, 1890. Pacing horse, 155, 1000. Trotting horse, 1.6HY,, 1905. Man skating, im 3Cs, 1806. Man running, 4m ia%s, 18S7. Man walking. Cm 23s, 1890. It will be observed that the dif- ference between the locomotives and the automobile is trifling. For 100 miles the record of the steam locomotive is much better than that of the auto. However, both tho electric locomotive and the auto may bo expected to show further improvement, an their development is incomplete, while their steam brother has attained about the li- mit. It is also interesting to note that a so-called automobile loco- motive has been construct-ed, this being a railway locomotive designed to use gas, after tho fashion of a gasoline auto. The horse-racing and foot-raoing records added to the table wore all made in recent years. Evidently wo breed better and train better than ever be.brft. PROOF POSITIVE. A prudent housewife in Albany, Now York, once appealed to tho well-known American prelate, Bishop Doano, for advice about tho provision of literature for her chil- dren. They considered and discuss- ed many juvenile books, tho Bishop criticizing them as they came up for judgment, until, finally, "Rob- inson Crusoe" was named. "Do you think it suitable for my boy?" asked the lady. "Oh, yes," replied the Bishop. "It is quite a harmless narrative, and haa pleased boys for ages. Bc&idos, there is some reason to believe that Robinson Crusoe was an Episco- palian." And the Bishop's eyes twinkled. "Indeed I" exclaimed the lady, much gratified, "why, I never knew that." "Yes," continued the Bish- op, ".vou will remember that ho kept Good Friday." RAN IN THE FAMILVT. .'\ gentleman having an estate in the Scotch Highlands, as he was going abroad for some time, ad- vertised the shootings to let, and told his gamekeeper, Donald, who was to snow the ground, to give it a good character to anyone who .wanted to see it. .An Englishman came down, and, inquiring of Don- ald {IS to how it was stocked with game, Arst asked i{ ic had any deer. Donald's reply was ; . Thou- sands of them." ".\ny grouse?" "Thoosands of them, too." ".\ny partridges!" "Thoosands of them, too." "An.y woodcock?" "Thoosands of them, too." The Englishman, thinking that Donald was drawing the long bow, asked if there wore any gorillas. Donald drew himself up. "Weol, they are no' so plentifu' ; they jist come occasionally, noo and agin, like yoursel'." EUROPE'S CLOUD-SHOOTING. "Cloid shooting" is becoirin? • regular form of artillery practice in many European countries, tho object of this atmospheric gunnery being to disiiel threatened hail- storms. The most recent form of gun is a funnel-shaped barrel of iron with a broad muzzle, so that tho discharge shall be distributed over as large a space as possible. Tho effect of the discharge is to create a small but powerful whirl- wind, which, it is found, disperses clouds that would otherwise de- scend in hail. So strong is the gust of wind sent upward that it sometimes kills or disables birds Hying at great height overhead. VICE VERSA. "Let me soc some of your black kid gloves," said a lady to a shop- man. "Those are not the latest style, are they!" she asked when tho gloves were produced. "Yes, madam,'' replied the shop, man. "Wo have had them in stock only two days." "I didn't think thoy were, he- cnur.e the fashion paper says black kida havo tan stitches, and vico versa. I see the tan stitches, but not the vice versa." The shopman explained that vino versa was French for seven buttons, so she bought three pairs. GLASS TO MATCH. "Dear," s'lc said trembling, as she r)'^-^'- 'inst him on the firsk night ii' 'loneymoon, "I havo a secret to ti'l you." "What is it?" he hissed tragical- ly. "Can you ever forgive mo for do- ceivinK you t" she sobbed. "My loft «yo It mada of gl-gl-glass !" "Oh." he murmured, with o. ligh of reliof, "don't say aay m«jra, dearost ; so aro tho diamonds la yottr aagagomont ring I"-