The passage is suggestive for all time. We see it repeated at the

opening of every January. Nay, it is not limited to inauguration

days; it recurs wherever youth and age are found side by side. At

the presentation of every new thing there are two attitudes among

the crowd--the young shout and the old weep. They are looking

through two different glasses--hope and memory. Neither of them is

worshipping in the building in which they stand. Youth sees the

house gilded by the rays of to-morrow; age beholds it overshadowed

by the light of yesterday. Youth claps its hands over its coming

possibilities; age says, "It is nothing to what used to be in the

old days." Youth disparages the first temple, and says the new is

better; age exclaims with the Scottish poetess:--

"There ne'er shall be a new house

Can seem so fair to me."

You will observe that in neither of these cases is the attitude

pessimistic. Both see roses; both are agreed that a happy time is

somewhere; but they differ as to where the roses lie. Youth sees

them at the end; age beholds them at the beginning. The one has

placed its Garden of Eden in the future; the other has planted it in

the past. Both are optimists; but they seek their goal by opposite

ways. Youth is for advance; it cries with a loud voice, "Speak to

the children of Israel, that they go forward." Age is for retreat,

for regress toward a former day; it would say with the ancient poet,

"Return unto thy rest, O my soul."

Which is right? Neither. Both are one-sided; each ignores something

in the other. Let us begin with youth--the tendency to disparage the

past, to set hope against memory. It forgets something--that hope

is itself an inheritance of the past. Why does youth clap its hands

previous to experience? It is because the young man has got in his

blood the experience of past generations, and the result has been on

the side of happiness rather than of misery. If the result had been

on the side of misery, youth would not have hoped; it would have

despaired. Instinct is the fruit of past habit; instinctive hope

must come from long prosperity. Christianity itself has propagated

from sire to son an inheritance of hope; Christ in us becomes the

hope of glory. Paul declares that the highest ground for hope is to

be found in the past: "He that spared not His own Son, shall He not

with Him also freely give us all things?" He means that nothing in

the future need be too much to expect after this exhibition of love

in the past. The handing down of such a thought is alone sufficient

to create sunshine. It causes the average child in a Christian

population to be born an optimist--to come into the world with an

expectation of blue sky, and to dream of a good for which he has no

warrant in personal experience.

But if youth is one-sided in disparaging the past, age is also so

in disparaging the future, in dwelling on the past exclusively.

The old man tends to say that the former days were better than

these. If he could get back to these former days, he would make a

discovery. He would find that, in point of fact, there was not one

of them which was not lit by to-morrow's sky. Take the boy's game.

To one looking back through the years, it seems to have been a pure

enjoyment of the hour; in truth, it was never so. What the boy saw

was more than the game of play; it was the game of life. To him the

game was an allegory: it represented something beyond itself--the

chances of the world. That which made him glad in his success, that

which made him sad in his defeat, was not mainly the fact but the

omen. The game was to him rather a sign of the future than an event

of the hour. Or take the girl's doll. Was that purely a pleasure

of the hour? Nay; the hour had very little to do with it. She was

living in a world of imagination--a world to come. The doll to her

represented motherhood. She had already in fancy a house of her

own. She reigned; she administered; she managed; she had put away

childish things. There are no moments so speculative as our real

moments; no sphere is so full of to-morrow as what we call the

events of the hour.

But, although each view separately is one-sided, there is an extreme

beauty in their union. It is one of the finest laws of Providence

that youth should see the end at the beginning, and that age should

see the beginning at the end. Let us glance at each in turn. Let us

begin with youth. And let us remember what is the problem before

youth: it is, how to advance. Now, I have no hesitation in saying

that nothing causes us to advance but a vision of the future.

Paradoxical as it may sound, if there is to be progress, the end

must get behind the beginning and push it on. No other vision will

impel us forward. The past will not. I do not think the effect

even of _bright_ memories is stimulating; they tend rather to make

us fold the hands. The present will not. How short is the effect

of any actual joy! If a windfall comes to you, you contemplate it

perhaps for a few moments exclusively; presently you say, "What

will my friend think when he hears of it?" The thing itself is not

sufficient. It cannot bear the weight even of five minutes. It is

incapable of self-sustenance. It would die at its birth if it were

not supported by to-morrow.

Therefore it is that God leads on the youth of individuals and

communities, not by a sight of their environment, but by a vision

of the end. He shows them the end without perspective--without

the years between. He knows that by nature the child ignores all

between--that in the presence of any coming joy he cries, "Not

to-morrow, nor to-morrow, nor to-morrow, but the next day." And so

our Father has always begun by showing us the next day. He came

to Abraham and said, "Get thee out of thy country, and I will

make of thee a great nation." He did not tell him that Egypt and

the desert and the Jordan lay between. If He had, his steps would

have been paralysed on the threshold. Did you ever ask yourself

what is the earliest revealed doctrine of the New Testament? Is it

justification, sanctification, effectual calling, the perseverance

of the saints? No, it is none of these: it is the second coming of

Christ--the completed glory of redeeming love. When Paul sat down

to write his first epistle to the Thessalonians--the earliest book

of the New Testament--he began at the end. He let the world hear

the final bells ringing across the snow. He concealed the snow;

he veiled the intervening years; he said, "To-morrow." He did not

tell that a Red Sea of trouble and a desert of visionless waiting

lay between. And he was right. Men heard only the bells, and the

bells lured them on. They helped them to tread the snow; they nerved

them to cross the sea. They sustained them to meet the desert. They

sounded nearer than they were; they rang ever the one refrain,

"Christ is coming"; and the persistent strain of to-morrow hid the

jarring of the passing day.

But if it is benevolent that youth should see the end at the

beginning, it is no less a bounteous provision that age should

see the beginning at the end. "Say not that the former days were

better than these" is a counsel wise and true. But it is none the

less wise and true that to the eye of the old man the past ought

to be _glorified_. It ought to be glorified because it _needs_ to

be glorified. The past never got justice while it was passing.

Childhood ignored it; youth disparaged it. The hour laid gems at

our feet which we did not see, or which, seeing, we despised. We

kept asking when Elias would come; and Elias had come already. To

us, as to Moses, the hand of God was laid over the face while God

was passing by; we did not discern the actual blessings of the day.

Are we never to discern them here below? Must we go hence without

seeing the world in which we dwell? Shall we be sent forth to gaze

on things unseen before we have looked at the objects which have

been actually in our hands? God says "No." He says the past must

be righted, righted on the earth, righted _by_ the earth. He has

appointed a day even here in which each man shall judge the world in

which he has dwelt--in which he shall reverse his former judgment.

The crooked shall be seen straight, the rough places shall appear

plain, the glory of the Lord, which was veiled in passing, shall be

recognised in retrospect; and the end will pronounce the beginning

to have been indeed very good.

Therefore it is that the eyes of the aged men rest more on the old

house than on the new. The old is to them really a new house. They

have seen it for the first time. They did not see it when they were

living in it; their eyes were then on the _coming_ temple, and the

voice of the present God spoke to them unheard. Therefore, on the

quiet road to Emmaus--the road of life's silent afternoon--God shows

them the disappearing form of yesterday; and, like Jacob, they

exclaim in deep surprise, "Surely the Lord was in this place, and we

knew it not; this was none other than the house of God."

And this explains something which otherwise I could not understand.

In the Book of Revelation the host of the redeemed in heaven are

represented as singing two songs--the song of Moses and the song of

the Lamb. Why two? The song of Moses I can readily understand; it is

the triumph of the _future_--the shout over the coming emancipation.

But why sing the song of the Lamb? Why chant a pæan over the

sacrifices of yesterday? Why allow the dark memories of the past to

dim the glory of the approaching day? Is there not something which

jars upon the ear in the union of two anthems such as these?

[Illustration: THE REV. DR. MATHESON.

(_Photo: J. Horsburgh and Son, Edinburgh._)]

No; there would be something jarring without it. All other heavens

but that of the Bible sing the song of Moses alone; they ask nothing

more than to be free from the pain of yesterday. The heaven of

Christ would be content with no such aspiration. It deems it not

enough to promise the joys of to-morrow--the golden streets, and the

pearly gates, and the luscious fruits of an unfading summer's bloom.

It seeks to connect the future with the past, to show that in some

sense the glory had its birth in the gloom. It would reveal to us

that the golden streets have arisen from our desert, that the pearly

gates have opened from our brick walls, that the luscious fruits

have sprung from the very ground which we used to deem barren. It

would tell us that the crown has been made from the materials of

our cross, that the day has come out of our dusk, and that we have

climbed the heights of Olivet by ascending the steps of Calvary.

And is not the heaven of Christ true in this to human nature? What

you and I are seeking is not merely nor even mainly emancipation.

That would be something, but not all; I want a justification of

my past bonds. It is not enough to be able to say "I am all right

_now_." Have I not wasted time? Are there not years which the

locusts have eaten? Might not this emancipation have come sooner?

Why should I not always have been free? Is it any vindication of

God's dealings with Job that at the end he gets back houses and

brethren and lands? No; that is a mere appendage to the story.

The patriarch wants to learn, and _we_ want to learn, why he was

afflicted at all. We are not satisfied merely because the grey is

followed by the gold. We wish to know that the grey has _made_ the

gold. The song of Moses may tell how the peace came _after_ the

storm; but the song of the Lamb alone can say, "God answered Job

_out of_ the whirlwind."

Our future, then, like our present, must be a blending of memory and

hope. The stones of the heavenly temple must be stones that have

been hewn in the quarry of time; otherwise they will _not_ sparkle

in the sun. The marriage supper of the Lamb is a union of to-morrow

and yesterday; no other bells will ring Christ in for me. Grace is

not enough; it must be justifying grace--grace that vindicates my

past. In vain shall I walk by the crystal river, in vain shall I

stand upon the glassy sea, if the light upon each be only the sun of

to-morrow. My sea must be "glass mingled with _fire_"--calm that has

been evolved by tempest, rest that has grown out of struggle, beauty

that has shaped itself through seeming anarchy, joy that has been

born of tears. To-morrow morning and yesterday evening must form

together one day--a day in which the imperfections of the old house

will explain the symmetry of the new, and in which the symmetry of

the new will compensate for the short-comings of the old. So shall

the first and second temple receive a common glory, and memory and

hope shall be joined for evermore.

[Illustration: signature]

"NOT TOO LATE."

By the late Rev. Gordon Calthrop, M.A.

The cords were knotted round me fast,

I writhed and plucked them as I lay;

But Sin too well her net had cast--

I could not tear myself away.

Then hissed a voice, "Give up the strife;

Too late thou seek'st to change thy life."

Another spake--"Make God thy Friend,

And then 't is not too late to mend."

But I had scorned the proffered love,

And bidden Heav'n's angels from me flee;

How could I think that Heaven would move

To stretch a helping hand to me?

So hissed the voice, "Give up thy hope:

Some paths to hell _must_ downward slope."

The other said, "God is thy Friend;

Why should it be too late to mend?"

The time was bitter. Ah! how oft

I almost dashed aside the cup!

But Hope her banner waved aloft,

And God's great Son still held me up.

And if the voice hissed, "Thou art long

In conqu'ring foes so old and strong,"

The other cried, "With God thy Friend

It cannot be too late to mend."

And when the bitter day was done,

And forth the demons howling fled,

I went to strengthen many a one

Whom, like me, Sin had captive led:

I told them, though a voice of fear

Might speak of ruin in their ear,

Another said, "God is thy Friend,

It cannot be too late to mend."

AN AMERICAN BOY-EDITOR

AND HIS "BAREFOOT MISSION."

By Elizabeth L. Banks.

[Illustration: TELLO J. D'APERY AT THE AGE OF TWELVE.

(_Photo: Eisenmann, New York._)]

"_The Sunny Hour_--A Monthly Magazine for Boys and Girls. Published

and Edited by Tello d'Apery, a Boy twelve years old."

This was the inscription which appeared on the title-page of a

new periodical which made its appearance in New York a few years

ago. Editors of important daily and weekly newspapers, finding

the pretty brown-covered magazine on their desks along with more

ambitious-looking first numbers of other periodicals, stopped in the

midst of their work to glance over the result of a twelve-year-old

editor's work. Accustomed as they were to reading and hearing

of prodigies in America, the land of prodigies, they were yet

surprised at the enterprise, not to say the audacity, of the young

boy who essayed to put himself before the public as the editor and

proprietor of a magazine.

"The commercial instincts of the American nation show themselves in

its very infants!" they reflected amusedly. "A few years hence that

twelve-year-old, grown to be a man, is likely to make Wall Street

hum."

Commercial instincts! Well, yes, perhaps, but of an order more

likely to bring about results in the neighbourhood of Baxter Street

and the other poverty-stricken haunts of the lowly East Side than

among the brown-stone business palaces of Wall Street.

Turning to the first "leader" written by the young editor on his

editorial page, the literary critics were told in childish language

why so small a specimen of humanity had dared to venture into the

world of letters.

"I am twelve years old," ran the leading article, "so I hope all the

public will excuse any mistakes I make in my paper. I am publishing

it to earn money to buy new boots and shoes and get old ones mended

for poor boys and girls in New York who have to go barefooted.

That's what I'm going to do with all the profits. I want to make

enough money to rent a house where I can have my offices and lots of

room for a Barefoot Mission, where the boys and girls in New York

can come and get boots for nothing. I hope the public will buy my

paper, which is a dollar a year and ten cents for single copies."

How to Manage Fathers and Mothers.

BY THE EDITOR.

I have had a father and mother twelve years, and I am said to

manage them pretty well, and I am going to tell all boys and

girls just how I do it, and it would do no harm for them to try

the same plan and see how it works in their cases.

FACSIMILE OF AN EXTRACT FROM NO. 1 OF "THE SUNNY HOUR."

So it happened that when the important editors of New York and other

large cities read the leading article in the first copy of _The

Sunny Hour_, there was a kindness and gentleness in their tones as

they threw the little periodical over to the "exchange editors,"

saying, "Here, this little thing isn't a bad idea at all! Be sure

you notice it in your reviews."

I doubt if any other new paper ever published received from its

contemporaries such kind and encouraging "press notices" as did _The

Sunny Hour_, and when it appeared upon the stalls for sale the

newsdealers sold a great many copies.

[Illustration: OFFICE OF "THE SUNNY HOUR."]

When the first number of his magazine was off his hands, little

Tello began to think of ways and means for insuring its success

and getting as much money as he could for his Barefoot Mission. He

decided that he must have patrons, and so with his own hands he

folded up and addressed copies of his paper to many great people of

whom he had heard. One of the papers went to the Queen of England,

and along with it was posted a letter to her Majesty telling her all

about his paper and his mission and asking her to let her name go

first on his list of patrons. What mattered it to the Queen that she

was simply addressed as "Dear Queen" by the little American boy who

wanted her for his patron! In the reply which she sent through Sir

Henry Ponsonby, she told him of her interest in his noble work and

gladly became his first patron.

Letters and papers were also sent to the Empress of Russia, the

Queen-Regent of Spain, Queen Olga of Greece, Queen Elizabeth of

Roumania, the Khedive, and numerous other royalties, all of whom

wrote to him and became his patrons and subscribers. The great

Church dignitaries of America, Europe, and Asia, wrote charming

letters to the boy-editor, subscribing for his paper and saying that

they would like to be considered patrons of _The Sunny Hour_ Mission.

After the first number of the magazine appeared, the list of

contributors became a very notable one indeed. The Queen of Roumania

(Carmen Sylva) wrote several autograph poems for it, and sent an

autographed photograph for publication. The Prince of Montenegro,

Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince Roland Bonaparte, Osman Pasha (Grand

Master of Ceremonies to the Sultan), Pierre Loti, Sir Edwin Arnold,

Mr. Justin McCarthy, Sully-Prudhomme, the Rev. Edward Everett Hale,

Marion Harland, and many other literary celebrities, had articles,

stories, and poems in _The Sunny Hour_, for which they asked no

reward, except the knowledge that they were helping to sell the

paper and thus putting shoes on little bare feet.

[Illustration: WAITING OUTSIDE THE MISSION-HOUSE.]

With the money that came in from the subscriptions and

advertisements for the paper, a building on Twenty-fourth Street

was rented as an editorial and mission house. It was fitted up in

the most practical way possible, with a play-room for the very

little "Barefoots," a library for the older ones, a reception-room

for "Barefoots," a storeroom for boots and shoes, and the editorial

and publishing offices of _The Sunny Hour_. Though the help of

grown-up people was always gladly received, only little folks were

employed about the headquarters of the boy-editor and missionary.

His assistant editor was a boy of his own age, Jack Bristol, whose

happy face and manner gained for him the title of "Jolly Jack."

Three small boys, friends of the editor, were the type-setters and

printers. They had a small steam press on which they printed the

magazine. Florencia Lewis, a young girl, acted as secretary and

general manager.

I must not forget to mention another very important employee of the

mission, who acted as carrier and distributer of boots and shoes to

the little "Barefoots." He also was of very tender years--or rather

I should say months, for Prince Roland Bonaparte, the St. Bernard

puppy, though very much larger than many of the children who took

the shoes he carried to them in his mouth, was only a few months

old when the mission was started. "Prince," as he was called for

short, was (and is) one of the most indefatigable and enthusiastic

supporters of the Barefoot Mission in New York. As a puppy he always

had a place of honour in the reception-room where the barefooted

children went to make their requests. By the time he was four months

old "Prince" learned to tell a "Barefoot" on sight, so that, as soon

as a poor little shivering tot made its appearance, the puppy would

wag his tail and gravely trot into the storeroom, procure a pair of

boots, and, returning, lay them at the bare feet of the applicant.

It must be confessed that "Prince's" sagacity, great though it was,

did not always enable him to select just the right-sized boot for

the would-be wearer. There were also a few occasions, during his

initiation into his new duties, when he disgraced himself by chewing

up one shoe while the "Barefoot" was putting on the other, but he

has outgrown these puppyish proclivities. He now weighs one hundred

and seventy-five pounds, and is one of the finest and most useful

St. Bernards in New York. When out walking with his young master,

he always stops in front of any shops where boots and shoes are

displayed in the windows, and with a worldly-wise look in his eyes

and numerous wags of his huge tail seems to be trying to calculate

in his mind just how many applicants at the Barefoot Mission could

have their feet shod if the shopkeepers did their duty. It takes all

Tello's powers of coaxing and persuasion to keep him from entering

the shop and carrying off by force (in his mouth) some of the wares

displayed for sale.

[Illustration: THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE FOR SEVEN HUNDRED CHILDREN.]

Not all, perhaps only a very few, new enterprises in the literary

world are able to meet all their expenses and show a profit during

the first year of their existence, but the twelve-year-old boy's

enterprise was able to do this. Beside meeting all his expenses,

he had at the end of the first year been able to distribute 760

pairs of shoes to the poor children of New York. Not all of these

were new. Some were old ones mended by Tello's special shoemaker

in such a way as to make them almost as good as new in the matter

of usefulness, if not in appearance. Then people began to send in

stockings (some new, some old), dresses, boys' suits, underwear, old

playthings, etc., until the Barefoot Mission became indeed a blessed

place to the poor of New York. When Christmas came, the boy-editor

provided a great Christmas tree and festival, where not only boots

and shoes and clothing were distributed to the needy, but turkeys

and ham, and cakes and "candies" were given out, to the great

delight of the 700 children who attended it. Here is one of the many

pathetic little letters the young editor received just before one of

the Christmas festivals. It was published at the time in _The Sunny

Hour_:--

"DEAR MR. TELLO,--Me and my little sister and the baby can't

have no crismus this year 'cause our father is dying and granma

is sick with perelisis and our little bruther died two weeks ago

and the city had to bury him. Mother is not working 'cause the

baby is too little--there's ten of us all counted. So if you

have any crismus won't you let us come, for we all haven't got

clothes to keep us warm nor shoes, and no coal except what my

big brother picks up--nothing to eat hardly. Yours respecfully."

Childish letters of appeal similar to the above have been coming

in ever since the mission was started, and they have acted as a

continual spur to the young missionary. The distributions increased

until one day 3,032 pairs of shoes and stockings were given out, and

about 2,000 flannel garments as well.

[Illustration: GOLD MEDAL PRESENTED TO THE BOY-EDITOR BY THE

PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA.

(_Of which there are only five in existence._)]

Meanwhile _The Sunny Hour_ magazine increased in interest and

circulation. The list of eminent contributors and patrons became

larger every month. Very busy men and women, for the product of

whose pens the editors of the best periodicals were willing to pay

liberally, sent in gratis to _The Sunny Hour_ stories and poems to

be edited by a little boy.

[Illustration: TELLO J. D'APERY AT PRESENT TIME.

(_Photo: D. Garber, New York._) (_Showing the Medals and Orders

presented to him by European and Asiatic Sovereigns._)]

When the mission and the magazine had been running for about three

years Tello d'Apery's health broke down from overwork, and through

the kindness of a friend he made a trip round the world, leaving

his paper and mission in the care of "Jolly Jack," the assistant

editor. The boy carried copies of his little paper along with him,

his object being to interest everyone he met in his work, and

this object was attained to such an extent that on his return he

numbered among his subscribers nearly every Oriental potentate. He

was received in audience by the Sultan and the Khedive. The latter

was especially kind to him, delegating one of his sons to show him

about Cairo, and became so interested in the Barefoot Mission that

he contributed one hundred dollars towards it. It was during his

visit to Egypt that Tello d'Apery became distinguished as the only

American boy who has ever been decorated by a foreign potentate. The

Khedive conferred upon him the Order of the Medjidieh, which carried

with it the title of Bey. Other orders, medals, and titles have been

showered upon the young American. He is a Chevalier of the Order

of Bolivar, conferred upon him by the President of Colombia. The

Order of Umberto was also conferred upon him in Italy. He is also a

Chevalier of the Order of St. Katherine, and another order gives him

the title of "Don." He has received in all eighteen decorations and

medals, and it is by special request that he has had his portrait

taken with a number of his decorations fastened to his coat. In

writing to me recently concerning this portrait, he says: "Of

course, being an all-round and patriotic American boy, I could not

use a title, and care only for my decorations because of the good

friends who gave them to me and the interest that they show has been

taken in my work by great people abroad."

With this issue I present the initial

number of THE SUNNY HOUR, modestly, as becomes so young an

editor, but hopefully, because I mean to try and make it worthy

of a place in every home where there are children.

If I find as much encouragement in my subscription list and

advertising patronage, as I hope, I shall enlarge my paper every

three months, and add new features. In any case it has come to

stay one year.

I shall devote my paper to such literature as mothers will

approve, and there will be no Indian Scalping, nor pistols, nor

any such thing. I shall always uphold the cause of temperance

and morality and so shall not touch upon politics, and it shall

be my earnest endeavor to deserve well of the public.

If my paper ever falls below expectations, please remember that

I am only twelve years old.--THE EDITOR.

_____________

SPECIAL NOTICE.

All paying subscribers, who desire it, are entitled to a cabinet

photograph of the editor, with his autograph. This is not done

from vanity, but because he thought perhaps some persons might

like to see what the youngest editor and publisher in the world

looks like.

FROM NO. 1 OF "THE SUNNY HOUR."

When Tello returned from his travels, much improved in health, his

boy friends took a notion to call him "Chevalier d'Apery," but on

pain of his sore displeasure the title was dropped, he declaring

that it was not for publication but only as an evidence of good

faith on the part of his decorators. A medal that he very highly

prizes is a gold one given him by the venerable Patriarch of

Alexandria, Sophronius, who had it struck when he had been fifty

years in office. There are only four others like Tello's in the

world. The Patriarch presented one to Tello, one to the Queen of

Greece, one to the late Queen of Denmark, and one to the Empress

Dowager of Russia. Sophronius is now one hundred and six years old,

and is one of Tello's most devoted friends, writing frequent letters

to him in Apostolic Greek.

Many also are the presents Tello d'Apery has received from noted

people. Don Carlos of Spain, the Queen of Greece, and many other

royalties, have sent him tokens of their interest and esteem,

so that, besides his medals and decorations, he has a number of

interesting and valuable scarf-pins, rings, etc. While in Athens

the Queen of Greece entertained him at the palace, and begged him

to make her a member of _The Sunny Hour_ Mission Club, which he

did by himself pinning at her throat the pretty little badge of

the Order of _The Sunny Hour_, the Queen repeating after him the

promise made by all those who join the Club: "I promise to give one

hour each week to some good action. I will be kind to my parents,

to my brothers and sisters, to the poor and the unfortunate, and to

animals."

These _Sunny Hour_ Mission Clubs are auxiliaries of _The Sunny Hour_

and Barefoot Mission, and have been formed in different parts of

the world. There is one in Paris, which has been very prosperous,

and there has also been one in London. There are a number of little

persons belonging to royal families who wear the badge of _The Sunny

Hour_. Among them are the little Lady Alexandra Duff, and the tiny

Prince Boris of Bulgaria.

After his return from abroad Tello d'Apery published an account

of his experiences in a book called "Europe Seen through a Boy's

Eyes," all the profits of which went to buy shoes for the barefooted

children of New York. He also, in order to get more money for his

work, started a little book and stationery shop, spending a part

of his time there behind the counter and a part of it behind his

editorial desk. Recently his health has again failed, and he has

been obliged to lessen some of his arduous labours. He is now trying

to establish a mammoth boot- and shoe-mending shop of his own,

where old foot-gear may be repaired at less expense than it is now.

When this object is accomplished, some of the "Barefoots" themselves

will learn the cobbler's trade and work in the establishment, thus

helping others while helping themselves.

The idea is to rent a building, or at least a part of a building,

for the purpose, and issue circulars to the residents of New York

and vicinity, asking them to send their old boots and shoes to the

building, or, better still, to have a horse and cart go about from

house to house to collect them. Then two or three expert cobblers

will be hired for a few months to mend them and to take a certain

number of apprentices from among the "Barefoots" and teach them the

trade of cobbling. Only such boys as show a liking and aptitude for

the work will, of course, be chosen as apprentices. They will spend

the whole day or only a few hours a day at the work, as their other

duties permit. Not only will they be taught to mend boots--they

will also be taught to make them. When they have learned their

trade they will receive the same wages as other workmen are paid.

Of course, when _The Sunny Hour_ "Barefoots" (or, rather, those who

have been "Barefoots" in times gone by) become expert shoemakers,

there is no reason why they should confine their efforts to making

and mending boots for the New York poor alone. Tello d'Apery hopes

that many orders for men's and women's and children's footgear will

be received from well-to-do New Yorkers, so that not only will the

expenses of the establishment be met, but an extra amount of money

taken in for the mission. It is a magnificent scheme, and we can but

hope that this noble American boy may be able to carry it out.

[Illustration: THE PLAYROOM IN "THE SUNNY HOUR" MISSION BUILDING.]

LITTLE LADY WILMERTON.

[Illustration: LITTLE LADY WILMERTON]

By the Rev. P. B. Power, M.A., Author of "The Oiled Feather," Etc.

Hard by the village of Hopedale, away from railways and their

whistles, and indeed pretty nearly from the world in general, was a

very beautiful castle, surrounded by pleasure grounds, and gardens

for both fruit and flowers.

The place had been well kept up, because old Lord Wilmerton, the

grandfather of the little lady of whom I am going to tell you, was a

proud man; and he would not have it said that any of his properties

were allowed to go to ruin, or even to run wild. But the old Lord

himself never went there nor did his son, the father of the present

little Lady Wilmerton. The place was too dull for them; they liked

the gaieties of London and the Continent, and the country had no

charms for them.

Little Lady Wilmerton's father and grandfather were now both dead.

Her father died first, and her grandfather soon followed him to the

grave. And now our little lady was a Countess, for in her family the

title did not die out with the males, but, when there were no sons,

passed on to the daughters, if there were any. And as with the title

went most of the estates, the little Countess, who was only twelve

years old, became the mistress of Hopedale Castle, and the village

and, indeed, the country for, I might almost say, many miles round.

The last thing that anyone in Hopedale would have ever thought of

was her little ladyship's coming to live at the Castle. Great,

therefore, was the astonishment of everyone when they heard that she

was to live there for a large part of the year--and, moreover, that

she was coming almost at once.

At first the report was treated as an idle rumour, but when a

carriage arrived one day at the Castle with an elderly gentleman and

a much younger man, and a second carriage with a lady and her maid,

there could be no doubt that something was about to take place.

Moreover, the agent had been summoned to meet this old gentleman,

and he and the new arrivals were known to have gone all over the

Castle. This gentleman was the little Countess's guardian, and the

younger man was his solicitor; and the lady was a distant relative

of the little Countess, and was to be her caretaker--for her mother

had been dead now three years.

Such a possibility as the Castle being inhabited could not take

place without causing much talk in the village. Old and young had

their say about it--some of the old, I am sorry to say, at the

"Green Dragon," the village ale-house; and some at their cottage

doors, or when they met in the street.

The children too had their ideas and speculations--very different,

of course, from the older people's, but very decided, nevertheless.

As to the folk at the "Green Dragon," some were for the lady's

coming and some were not, and each party were positive.

"I tell you," said old Joe Crupper, the saddler, "there ain't no

good a-comin' out of this. We've got on very well hereabouts for

many a year, without having anyone to worrit us from that place. Why

can't they let it be as it has been so long? It don't want anyone to

live in it to keep it warm. Why, I'm told that they've burnt thirty

ton of coal in a winter to keep the place aired. We don't want no

great people down here in these parts; we can get on well enough by

ourselves. I didn't never know any good come of the haristockracy,"

said the saddler, giving the table a thump.

"But I'm told," chimed in a meek little man, who frequented the

"Green Dragon" more for gossip than for drink, "that the new 'lord'

is a little lady, and is only twelve years old."

"Joseph Simmons," said the saddler, looking witheringly into the

little man's face, "you are a man of edication, and ought to know

better. As to the little 'lord' being a lady, I ask you and all

the company"--here the saddler looked round--"what difference does

that make? Isn't a goose a goose, whether it's a goose or a gander?

Would you say, when 'tis roasted, 'Who'll take a bit of gander?'

No, goose or gander, 'tis a goose. In like manner, it don't matter

whether 'tis a boy or girl, a man or a woman"--and here the saddler

paused, evidently seeking for a further variety in sex, which he

could not find--"excuse me," said he, looking deprecatingly round,

"if I stop for a moment, for the argument is deep, and one's liable

to get tangled a bit--a man or a woman. Yes, the argument is plain,

and I defy you, Joseph Simmons, to beat it. A haristocrat is a

haristocrat, whether it be man or woman, boy or girl."

"I humbly beg pardon if I've given any offence," said the meek

little man. "You were once in London for a day, and you ought to

know more than I do."

[Illustration: "All the haristockracy wear gold crowns," said

Dolly.--_p. 276._]

"Ah, you're now coming to your senses," said the saddler. "I always

knew that you were a sensible man; the best of us forget ourselves

at times, as you did just now. You just mind what I say: no good

will come of this haristocrat." And as the saddler led most of the

company by the nose, they all went away with a terrible prejudice

against the little Countess.

The children, too, had their ideas and their talks. They had heard

that the new "lord" was a lady, and that she was only twelve years

old.

This was a puzzle to them, and no effort of their mental powers

enabled them to understand it; but they could--each according to

their own cast of mind--have their ideas on the subject, and talk of

and debate about them amongst themselves.

And so it came to pass that they, as well as their elders at the

Green "Dragon," had their argument about the newcomer.

We often form our ideas of people out of our own fancies; and we are

very often wrong, and I would recommend all young people not to be

in too great a hurry in forming their opinion about others, until

they have something to go on.

In the present instance Dolly Strap, who hated lessons, and whose

one desire was to run wild, said she "was sure that the little

haristocrat that was coming" (for the saddler's word had got all

over the village) "was a girl who never learned any lessons, who

never did and never would be obliged to; who was allowed to jump

over hedges and ditches, and never got whacked for tearing her

frock. Look here!" said Dolly, exhibiting a long rent in her frock;

"that means smackers to-night, girls, at eight o'clock; and as like

as not there will be smackers to-morrow night too. And haristocrats

jump over hedges and ditches, and tear their frocks to pieces every

day, and they only gets new ones for their pains, and never a smack

get they; and if the day was wet, and they couldn't get out of doors

to tear them, then you may be sure they does it somehow indoors,

leaping over chairs, or somehow. You know," said Dolly, with a

leer in her eye, "when you want to do a thing, you can always do

it--somehow."

"I don't know about dress," said Martha Furblow; "but you may be

sure she's dressed very grand--lots of feathers and flowers in her

hat, and plenty of lace and beads all over her."

"And she has dozens of dolls, you may be sure," said Mary Mater.

"I've heard say that there are dolls that say 'Papa' and 'Mamma,'

and that open their eyes and shuts 'em too, and winks when they

wants to look knowin'. She'll have some that asks you how you are,

and says, 'Very well, thank ye, and how are you?'"

"Ah," said Jenny Giblet, "and her sweets--do you think of them?

Hard-bake every morning for breakfast, and ginger-pop, and bottles

of peardrops, and boxes of peppermints--she don't go in for

pennorths, not she."

"And a gold crown--only not quite so grand as the Queen's," said

Dolly. "All the haristockracy wear gold crowns when they go to see

the Queen, and on Sundays when they go to church."

Thus the village children settled amongst themselves all about the

little Countess, and the outcome of it all was that, as she was so

much better off than they, she was to be disliked, and when she

came into the village--if, indeed, she ever did--they were to turn

up their noses at her, just as they made sure she would turn up her

nose at them.

There was one, however, amongst the group who ventured to put in a

word for the poor little Countess--this was Patience Filbert--whom,

in spite of themselves, everyone liked, for Patience was good to

all. The child was a little younger than the Countess. She had long

fair hair, and round grey eyes which seemed to open wide when she

talked to you and looked you, as she often did, so honestly, so

wonderingly, so lovingly in the face.

Patience ventured to say that, perhaps the little Countess might be

very nice, and if she was born a countess that was not her fault;

but poor Patience was told that she was a silly little thing.

"Yes, yes," said Dolly Strap; "you was hatched out a little goose,

and you'll be a little goose until you die. Now you go and give your

Bullie his dinner; you sat up with him half the night, and I hope he

won't die."

"Yes," they all said, "we hope he won't die," for they all liked

Patience--as, indeed, who could help doing?--and they knew that her

bullfinch was her great pleasure in life.

Poor Bullie! he was indeed ill, drawing near his end. He no longer

sang when Patience sang, nor hopped from his cage to eat out of her

mouth. He had fulfilled his mission in life, by making the delicate

child happy in what would have been many lonely hours, for she could

seldom play with other girls; and now in his death Bullie was about

to play a greater part than he had ever done in his life.

Bullie lingered two or three days, during which time he had three

warm baths and apoplectic fits, to the last of which he succumbed,

and, turning himself on his back and throwing his legs up into the

air, he departed this life. As Bullie had nothing to leave--at

least, so far as he knew--he died without a will, though in reality

he left a good deal, which was divided amongst all the inhabitants

of Hopedale, making them ever so much richer than they had been

before.

And it all came about in this way.

When Bullie died, it was determined amongst the children that he

should have a public funeral. Patience Filbert would have liked

to bury him just by herself; but two considerations induced her

to let her little neighbours have their way. There was first the

kindly feeling shown to herself, and then there was the honour done

to Bullie. And so Bullie was carried to his burial; his body was

wrapped in a clean pocket-handkerchief, and his coffin was an old

cigar box with wadding and sweet herbs inside. There was a long

avenue of trees leading up to the Castle gate, beneath a particular

one of which it was decided the body should be buried. Here it was

interred.

There was one more at the funeral than was expected. The little

Countess was there. She had seen the small procession as she was out

for her morning walk, and followed respectfully at a little distance

all the way. Moreover, she was at the ceremony of interment, only

standing a little way behind the rest.

The child was dressed in a simple holland frock, with a black ribbon

round her waist, and another round her plain straw hat. Her servant

was so far behind that she seemed to be quite by herself.

[Illustration: She put her arm round Patience's neck.]

The funeral over, the little Countess came forward, and the tears

came into her eyes when she saw how the chief mourner cried, for

poor Patience Filbert was very sad; and although she was a countess,

she put her arm round Patience's neck, and wiped away her tears.

Who was she?

"Lady," said Dolly Strap, who was rather rude, "what's your name?"

"They call me 'the Countess,'" said the child, "but my name is Mary.

Should you all like to come up to the garden? There is plenty of

fruit."

And they went, wondering that a countess could be so plainly

dressed, and so feeling, and so kind.

Our feelings in this life are very mingled--joy and sorrow,

sorrow and joy. So was it in this case. For the funeral party (now

replenished with gooseberries) returned with a new Bullie in a gilt

cage; it was the little Countess's own pet which she gave Patience

to make up her loss.

The little Countess's treatment of Patience--her sympathy, the tears

which came into her eyes when she saw another's distress--knocked

the bottom out of all the saddler's arguments against the

"haristockracy," and the little man cock-a-doodle-doo'd over him

tremendously at the "Green Dragon." And every door in Hopedale was

open at once to the little Countess, and every child in the place

was ready to put his hand to his hat or curtsey to her. One kind

act of real sympathy had opened all hearts to her; and who knows

how much prejudice against us will be done away with, and how many

hearts will be opened to us, even by one act of sympathy and love?

Heavenly Cheer.

_Words by_ THOMAS KELLY, 1806. H. WALFORD DAVIES, MUS.D.

(_Organist of the Temple Church._)

1. On the mountain-top appearing,

Lo! the sacred herald stands,

Welcome news to Zion bearing--

Zion long in hostile lands:

Mourning captive!

God Himself will loose thy bands.

2. Has thy night been long and mournful?

Have thy friends unfaithful proved?

Have thy foes been proud and scornful,

By thy sighs and tears unmoved?

Cease thy mourning!

Zion still is well-beloved.

3. God, thy God, will now restore thee;

God Himself appears thy Friend!

All thy foes shall flee before thee--

Here their boasts and triumphs end:

Great deliverance

Zion's King vouchsafes to send.

Amen.

TEMPERANCE NOTES AND NEWS.

By a Leading Temperance Advocate.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

The good old wish which we offer to all our readers points its own

moral. There was great practical sagacity in Joseph Livesey's method

of arranging to send a temperance tract to every family in Preston

on New Year's Day. Christian men and women, who are in sympathy with

the efforts of those who are fighting against our national vice,

would give a great lift to the work by starting the New Year as

total abstainers themselves. As New Year's Day falls on a Sunday,

we trust the clergy and ministers will "remember not to forget" to

drop a word for temperance in their Watch Night and New Year's Day

sermons.

[Illustration: DR. MACDOWELL COSGRAVE.

(_President of the Dublin T.A.S._)]

A DISTINGUISHED RECORD.

[Illustration: MR. T. WILLSON FAIR

(_Photo: Glover, Dublin._)]

[Illustration: THE DUBLIN COFFEE PALACE.

(_With large public hall in rear._)]

For upwards of sixty-two years the Dublin Total Abstinence Society

has perseveringly held on its way, a record not surpassed by any

temperance association in the sister country. When one remembers

the "storm and stress" through which Ireland has passed during

this eventful period, the fact that this ancient society still

survives is a tribute to the enthusiastic labours of its executive

officers of which they may well be proud. The old-fashioned method

of "signing the pledge" is still kept in the forefront at all the

meetings of the society. It rejoices in a coffee palace with a

commodious public hall, in the very heart of the city of Dublin,

and from year's end to year's end there is one attractive round of

lectures, entertainments, clubs, and popular festivities, variously

adapted to meet the requirements of the young and old alike. It

was at a meeting under the auspices of this association that the

late Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, F.R.S., made the memorable

deliverance: "The sale of drink is the sale of disease; the sale

of drink is the sale of poverty; the sale of drink is the sale of

insanity; the sale of drink is the sale of crime; the sale of drink

is the sale of death." The president of the society is a well-known

Dublin physician, Dr. E. MacDowell Cosgrave, and the hon. secretary

is Mr. Thomas Willson Fair, whose devotion to the cause has made his

name a household word in Irish temperance circles.

THE "DICTIONARY" BRIDE.

It will be remembered that last month we mentioned that under the

word "abstaining" in the new dictionary, Dr. Murray quoted from the

"Clerical Testimony to Total Abstinence," published in 1867, in

which the present Bishop of Carlisle stated that a certain "bride

was the daughter of an abstaining clergyman." Who was she? Well,

first of all, let us clear the way by saying that Dr. Bardsley, in

his testimony, cited the case of his own family. He said he was

the eldest of seven sons, who were brought up as total abstainers

by total abstaining parents. He then added, "To some readers who,

upon occasions of family festivities, have been perplexed by

their abstaining principles, it may not be uninteresting to learn

that when, recently, one of the seven entered the happy estate of

matrimony, the bride was the daughter of an abstaining clergyman.

Here, then, was a difficulty. Should the wedding-day be regarded as

an exception, and a little laxity allowed? The question was decided

in the negative, and, notwithstanding the little protests as to

'such a thing never having been heard of before,' and the fear as to

what that mythical personage Mrs. Grundy would say, the wedding was

conducted on total abstinence principles. Amongst the good things of

God provided, the spirits of evil were _wanting--but not wanted_,

for the general remark was 'How little they are missed!'" We ask

again, "Who was the bride?" In view of Dr. Bardsley's reference to

the _mythical_ Mrs. Grundy, our reply looks just a trifle piquant,

for the bride was a Miss Grundy, the daughter of the Rev. George

Docker Grundy, M.A., then (and still) Vicar of Hey, near Oldham.

We tender our hearty congratulations to this grand old churchman,

who graduated in honours at Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1828, was

ordained in 1830, and entered upon his present benefice more than

sixty years ago!

THE CHILDREN'S FOUNTAIN.

In the Temple Gardens, on the Victoria Embankment, there is a

beautiful drinking-fountain, the work of Mr. George E. Wade. It

is an exact facsimile of one executed by the same artist for

the World's Women's Christian Temperance Union and erected in

a prominent position in the city of Chicago. The funds for the

purchase of the London fountain were mainly collected by children

of the Loyal Temperance Legions, in response to an appeal from

Lady Henry Somerset. At the unveiling ceremony, which took place

in May, 1897, her Ladyship presented the fountain to the London

County Council, and Miss Hilda Muff, who, of all the children, had

collected the largest sum, had the honourable privilege of declaring

the fountain free to all.

[Illustration: THE CHILDREN'S FOUNTAIN, VICTORIA EMBANKMENT.

(_Photo: Cassell and Co., Ltd._)]

COMING EVENTS.

The friends in Norwich are organising a Sunday Closing

Demonstration, to be held in the historic St. Andrew's Hall, on

January 24th. The annual business meeting of the London Temperance

Council will take place on January 27th. Temperance Sunday for the

diocese of Liverpool has been fixed for January 29th, and Bishop

Ryle has issued a letter to all his clergy urging the due observance

of the day. The annual New Year's Soirée of the United Kingdom

Band of Hope Union has been fixed for January 30th, and the annual

meetings of the same institution will be held in Exeter Hall on

May 10th. The seventh International Congress against the Abuse of

Spirituous Drinks will be held in Paris from April 4th to 9th.

[Illustration: SCRIPTURE LESSONS FOR SCHOOL AND HOME

INTERNATIONAL SERIES]

SCRIPTURE LESSONS FOR SCHOOL AND HOME

INTERNATIONAL SERIES

With Illustrative Anecdotes and References.

=JANUARY 15TH.--Christ's First Miracle.=

_To read--St. John ii. 1-11. Golden Text--Ver. 2._

Last lesson told of disciples coming to Christ one by one. John the

Baptist pointed to Him as Lamb of God--the sin-bearer. Andrew and

John, hearing this, followed Christ. Andrew brought his brother

Simon. Christ bade Philip follow Him, and he brought his friend

Nathanael. Now Christ works miracle which confirms faith of all.

I. =The Need= (1-5). Third day after call of Nathanael. Cana, his

home, near Nazareth, sixty miles from Bethabara (i. 28). A wedding

party. Mary, mother of Jesus, evidently a family friend. Christ and

His five new disciples among the guests. Supplies ran short, perhaps

from poverty or from larger number of guests than expected. Painful

position of bridegroom, giver of feast. Mary notices, tells Christ,

receives answer, "What is that to Me and thee?" He is best judge of

right time for help. She knows His loving heart, is sure He will do

something; therefore bids servants obey Christ's orders.

II. =The Supply= (6-11). Waterpots ready, but empty. Been used for

washing before meals (St. Mark vii. 3). Christ orders them to be

filled--twenty gallons each. Governor of feast tastes first. Finds

it excellent wine--such as usually put on table at beginning of

feast--commends bridegroom for it. What was the result?

Satisfaction to Mary, who knew her Divine Son.

Faith strengthened in the new disciples of Christ.

Glory to Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.

III. =Lessons.= 1. _About wine._ God's gift (Ps. civ. 15), to be

used sparingly--a little (1 Tim. v. 23).

2. _About Christ._ How was His glory manifested? By

sympathy--sharing home-life--its joys and sorrows. Believing wants

of His people.

3. _About ourselves._ The benefit of such a Friend (Ps. cxliv. 15).

Difference between this world's blessings and those of Christ.

This world's come first--health, riches, fame, etc. Christ's come

last--glory, honour, immortality. Which are best? Then seek those

things which are above (Col. iii. 1).

=God's Bounty.=

On a cold winter's day a poor woman stood at the window of

a King's greenhouse looking at a cluster of grapes which

she longed to have for her sick child. She went home to her

spinning-wheel, earned half a crown, and offered it to the

gardener for the grapes. He ordered her away. She returned home,

took the blanket from her bed, sold it for five shillings, and

offered this sum to the gardener. He repelled her with anger.

The Princess, overhearing the conversation and seeing the

woman's tears, said to her, "You have made a mistake, my good

woman. My father is a king; he does not sell, but gives." So

saying she plucked a bunch of the best grapes and placed them in

the happy woman's hands.

=JANUARY 22ND.--Christ and Nicodemus.=

_To read--St. John iii, 1-17. Golden Text--Ver. 16._

Christ now in Jerusalem. Probably in retirement because Jews

hostile. Picture Him with His new disciples in house in a back

street on a windy night (ver. 8). A knock at the door. A Rabbi,

member of the Sanhedrim (vii. 50), enters cautiously; he seeks to

know more of this new teaching.

I. =Regeneration of Man= (1-8). _The inquiry._ Nicodemus, a searcher

after truth, comes to Christ the new Teacher, whom he acknowledges

as sent from God, as testified by His miracles. What must he do?

_The answer._ He must have a new birth, _i.e._ be changed into a

spiritual state--be concerned with inner things of God. This change

only wrought by work of Holy Spirit on soul, of which washing by

water, as in baptism, is outward sign. How does the Spirit work?

_Invisibly_--seen in effects, as wind on water. _Irresistibly_, its

power being divine--as at Pentecost 3,000 converted (Acts ii. 41).

But man's will must co-operate.

II. =Lifting up of Christ= (9-15). _Effects of new birth._ The

regenerate see the truth revealed desired long (St. Luke x. 24), and

bear witness to others--as new converts after Stephen's death (Acts

viii. 4).

_Subject of the new teaching._ Christ Himself, His Person, Son of

Man--the Perfect Man. His dwelling-place, heaven; not by ascending

there, but as being His own eternal home.

_Christ's lifting up._ On a cross--a sacrifice for sin, giving

eternal life to those who believe, of which brazen serpent was a

type (Num. xxi. 9).

III. =Love of the Father= (16, 17). How shown? He gave, sent, spared

not His Son (Rom. viii. 32). Why shown? That man may not die, but

live eternally.

=Lesson.= 1. The new birth. Am I changed?

2. Christ lifted up for me. Am I saved?

3. God's love. What am I giving in return?

=A Great Change.=

Queen Victoria once paid a visit to a paper-mill. Among other

things she saw men picking out rags from the refuse of the

city, and was told that these rags would make the finest white

paper. After a few days her Majesty received a packet of the

most delicate white paper, having the Queen's likeness for the

water-mark, with the intimation that it was made from the dirty

rags she had noticed. So our lives, renewed by God's Spirit, can

be transformed and bear His likeness.

=JANUARY 29TH.--Christ at Jacob's Well.=

_To read--St. John iv. 5-15. Golden Text--Ver. 14._

Christ leaves Jerusalem, travels north with His disciples, passes

through Samaria, reaches Sychar, near Shechem. Rests at Jacob's well

while disciples buy food in neighbouring town.

I. =The Story= (5-9). _Time._ Noon by Hebrew reckoning, or 6 p.m. by

Roman time.

_Place._ Jacob's well. Bought by him (Gen. xxxiii. 19), burial-place

of Joseph (Josh. xxiv. 32).

_Persons._ Jesus and the woman. He wearied, but, ever ready to do

His Father's work, opens conversation. Uses the water, thirst,

spring, as illustrations of spiritual truths. He asks her for water.

She is surprised, because of national hostility.

II. =The Water of Life= (10-15). Christ tells of His power to give

living water. She thinks He means deep spring water, and asks how it

is to be obtained. He then explains His meaning: water--commonest

and simplest of all liquids--emblem of gifts and graces of Holy

Spirit.

_Its source._ Gift of God alone. Offered freely to all (Isa. lv. 1).

_Its necessity._ If any have not God's Spirit, they are not His

(Rom. viii. 9).

_Its nature._ Pure--from God's throne (Rev. xxii. 1).

Refreshing--joy of salvation (Ps. li. 12). Healing (Rev. xxii. 2).

Satisfying (Isa. lxi. 1). Unfailing--wells of salvation (Isa. xii.

3).

_Its results._ Everlasting life.

III. =Lesson.= Drink of this living water which Christ offers to-day.

=Living Water.=

The fountain of living waters is God Himself. It is not a mere

cistern to hold a little water; it is a running, living stream,

and a fountain that springs up perpetually. Now a fountain is

produced by the pressure of water coming down from a height, and

never rises higher than its source. Our spiritual life has its

source in heaven. It came from God, and to God it will return.

=FEBRUARY 5TH.--The Nobleman's Son Healed.=

_To read--St. John iv. 43-54. Golden Text--Ver. 53._

Christ has passed through Samaria, returned to Cana. Now works first

miracle of healing.

I. =Faith Beginning= (43-47). _The father._ A courtier of Herod

Antipas, King of Galilee. In trouble because of son's sickness.

Hears of Jesus and His wonderful doings--will see if He can help

him. Leaves his home to go and meet Jesus. Urgently entreats Him to

come from Cana down to Capernaum on the Lake of Galilee to visit and

relieve his dying son.

II. =Faith Increasing= (48-50). Christ seems to hesitate--makes a

difficulty. He wants strong faith. He sees father desires external

signs, personal visit. Christ must have implicit faith. What does

Christ do? Does not comply with the request nor refuse, but calmly

tells him his son lives. The man believes, and returns home.

=III. Faith Perfected= (51-54). Met by his servants on way back.

They had noted the change for the better in the boy, hastened to

meet the father and tell the good news. What does he ask? The

time exactly agreed. So the father knew that Christ was more than

man--that He was Lord of life and death--the true Son of God. No

more doubts.

=Lessons.= 1. Trouble leads to prayer and prayer to blessings.

2. Belief in Christ brings peace and happiness.

3. He is the same Lord to all them that believe.

=Freemen of the Gospel.=

An old man once said that it took him forty years to learn three

simple things. The first was that he could not do anything to

save himself; the second was that God did not expect him to; and

the third was that Christ had done it all, and all he had to do

was to believe and be saved.

=FEBRUARY 12TH.--Christ's Divine Authority.=

_To read--St. John v. 17--27. Golden Text--John iv. 42._

Christ has returned to Jerusalem to keep one of appointed feasts

(ver. 1). There He healed a cripple at the Pool of Bethesda on the

Sabbath, which caused the Jews to persecute Him for "breaking" or

relaxing the Sabbath day. Christ answers them.

I. =The Father's Work= (17, 18). God is Creator of world and Father

of all. The Sabbath not a time for inaction. Does everything stop?

Earth continues to revolve, winds blow, vegetation grows. Sabbath a

rest for man from work by which livelihood gained, but also a day to

be spent in works of mercy. Thus Christ works on with the Father.

His claim to be equal with God angers the Jews.

II. =The Son's Work= (19-23). Same as the Father's--does nothing by

Himself. He shares the Father's counsels--loving bond of sympathy

between them. Shares Father's work--giving life to dead (i. 4).

Christ already done this when raised Jairus's little daughter (St.

Matt. ix. 25). Also raised dead souls by forgiving sins and leading

to new life. Example--sick of the palsy (St. Matt. ix. 2) and the

woman who had sinned (St. Luke vii. 37, 47).

Christ also appointed as the Judge (Acts xvii. 31). Therefore

equally with Father claims honour from men. To dishonour Him is to

dishonour God.

III. =Man's Relation to Christ= (24-27). How can he obtain this new

life? Must hear and accept Son's word, must believe the Father, Who

speaks through the Son (xvii. 3; Heb i. 2). Then he passes from

death in sin (Eph. ii. 1) to life in Christ (Col. iii. 3). This a

present change. Old things passed--all become new. New faith, hope,

love. New life for soul now, for body hereafter.

=Lessons.= 1. It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

2. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

=Full Salvation.=

Those who trust Christ do not trust Him to save only for a year

or two, but for ever. In going a long journey it is best to

take a ticket all the way through. Take your ticket for the New

Jerusalem, and not for a half-way house. The train will never

break down, and the track never be torn up. Trust Jesus Christ

to carry you through to glory, and He will do it.--REV. C. H.

SPURGEON.

[Illustration: SHORT ARROWS

Notes of Christian Life & Work.]

SHORT ARROWS

Notes of Christian Life & Work.

"The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple."

In response to the request of many of our readers, we give the

following account of this great picture, a special reproduction

of which (in colours and suitable for framing) was presented with

our November number. With the idea of the picture in his mind, Mr.

Holman Hunt went, in 1854, to Jerusalem to obtain local colour and

models for the work. "Truth to Nature" being the principle of his

art, he desired to get as near as possible to the probable aspect

of the scene he was attempting to depict. The Temple he had to

construct for himself, and this he did after studying Eastern, and

especially ancient Jewish, architecture, the only part painted

from an actual fact being the marble pavement. This he copied from

the floor of the Mosque of Omar, which, according to tradition, is

the only remaining portion of Herod's Temple. He experienced great

difficulty in getting models for his figures, owing to the suspicion

having arisen that he was a Christian missionary in disguise. By

the end of eighteen months, however, he had painted in all the

adult figures from actual models, and, returning to England, he

managed, by the help of Mr. Mocatta, to get a boy from the Jewish

community in the East-End of London to sit for the figure of Christ.

Every detail of the picture has a symbolic interest. The rabbi

on the left, clasping in his arms the _Torah_ or sacred roll of

the Law, is blind and decrepit, and the other rabbis, with their

phylacteries and scrolls, are all characteristic of the proud,

self-righteous, sects to which they belonged. Joseph carries his own

and Mary's shoes over his shoulders--even in their haste they had

remembered the injunction to remove them when entering the house

of the Lord--and Mary is clad in robes of grey and white, with a

girdle fringed with orange-red, the colours of purity and sorrow.

Christ wears a _kaftan_, striped with purple and blue, the colours

of the royal house of David. He is pulling the buckle of the belt

tighter--"girding up His loins"--and in spite of the "Wist ye not

that I must be about My Father's business?" has one foot advanced

in readiness to go with His earthly parents. Through the doorway

the builders are still at work; they are hoisting into position the

block which is to be "the chief corner-stone of the building."

[Illustration: BLIND PETER AND HIS BRIDE.

(_Photo: T. F. McFarlane, Crieff._)]

[Illustration: St. Paul's Bennett St. Sunday School, Manchester

Quiver Medalists March 1^{st.} 1898. ]

Blind Peter and his Bride.

In spite of his blindness, Peter was a very happy man. A young

girl, brought up in the American Presbyterian School in Pekin,

emphatically declared that he was the best, the cleverest, and

the best-looking of six candidates for her hand. She enjoyed the

unheard-of privilege of choosing her husband, and, as her relations

approved the selection, settlements were at once arranged. Her hair

was cut in a fringe, which in China marks an engaged maiden; the

contract was drawn up on a sheet of lucky scarlet paper, and Peter

undertook to make a regular allowance to his mother-in-law. Neither

the bride nor Peter's relations ever had occasion to regret their

decision. He was one of the earliest pupils in the School for the

Blind established in Pekin in 1879. As a boy of twelve years old, he

was led to the door by his brother aged fourteen. They were orphans,

and on their first begging tour, and the elder said that he could

support himself by work, but could not gain sufficient food for two

without begging. The blind boy was admitted, and he quickly gained a

high character. Within two years he was the ablest and best teacher

of the blind in Pekin, and he had knowledge and influence which

might be the means of bringing light and understanding to untold

numbers groping in darkness of mind and body. It is calculated

that the blind in China number at least 500,000, and they have

the character of being amongst the most depraved of beggars. Miss

Gordon-Cumming tells the story of blind Peter in her new book, "The

Inventor of the Numeral Type for China." The Chinese Dictionary

contains from 30,000 to 40,000 characters. It is true that to read

a book so sublimely simple as the Bible it is sufficient to learn

4,000; but the length of this task deters the majority of people

from the attempt. Mr. W. H. Murray found it possible to reduce the

distinct tones of Mandarin Chinese (used in four-fifths of the

Empire) to 408, and to represent them in numerals, embossed in dots

according to Braille's system. Miss Gordon-Cumming devotes several

pages to explaining the invention and the means by which it has been

carried into good effect. The result is that blind men and women

have not only been raised from demoralised beggary, but have become

teachers of others afflicted like themselves, and in some cases of

the sighted illiterate or deaf and dumb.

A Notable Group.

In the course of our last volume we had occasion to refer several

times to the remarkable Sunday-school in Manchester which contains

no less than forty-five teachers, all of whom have served for over

twenty years as active officers of the school. This discovery

was made in connection with our Roll of Honour for Sunday-school

Workers, and each of the forty-five was awarded THE QUIVER medal.

These teachers have since associated themselves in a photographic

group, the result of which we reproduce on the opposite page. It

forms an interesting and unique memento of an interesting and unique

school.

A Quiver Hero.

The latest addition to the Roll of Quiver Heroes and Heroines is

Captain James Hood, of the London tug _Simla_, who, on October

17th last, was by his self-sacrificing courage and presence of

mind instrumental in saving twelve members of the crew of the

_Blengfell_ off Margate. The circumstances attending the conspicuous

act of Captain Hood are probably still fresh in the minds of

all our readers, and it is only necessary to recall that on the

day in question his tug was in attendance on the naphtha ship

_Blengfell_, when the latter vessel was suddenly rent in two by

a terrific explosion, which resulted in the sudden death of the

captain of the doomed ship, his wife and child, and six other

persons. Hood immediately saw that the only way to save the men left

on the wreck and those struggling in the sea was to steam right

alongside the burning ship, there being no time to lower boats.

This he courageously did in the face of several minor explosions,

and knowing full well that at any moment the remaining barrels of

naphtha might ignite and blow his vessel to pieces. Fortunately he

was successful in rescuing the survivors, and was able to steam

away in safety from the burning ship. Our readers will undoubtedly

endorse our opinion that Captain Hood has nobly earned the Silver

Medal of THE QUIVER Heroes Fund, which it has been our pleasure to

hand to him.

[Illustration: CAPTAIN HOOD. (_The latest Quiver Hero._)

(_Photo: W. Bartier, Poplar, E._)]

Unusual Diffidence.

An able public man known to the writer was asked the other day to

speak at a conference upon one of the subjects to be debated. He

replied that he could not do so, as he did not know much about the

question and had not time to study it in all its bearings. How much

shorter and more profitable would speeches and sermons be if those

who deliver them were as conscientious as our friend! But "fools

rush in where angels fear to tread," and speak loud and long out of

the abundance of their ignorance. When a man has only one idea, has

seen only one side of a thing, knows only a limited number of words,

and is in possession of good lungs, there is no reason why he should

ever stop speaking.

Distributing Mansion House Money.

Four great famines in India have marked the reign of Queen

Victoria--each more widespread than the last, but each successively

occasioning less loss of life. It was in the famine of 1868-69

that Lord Lawrence initiated, as a working principle for the

Administration, a sense of personal responsibility for every life

lost. In the last, that of 1896-97, the scarcity extended from

the Punjab to Cape Comorin, but the skill in checking starvation

was greater than in the preceding one of 1877, and the number of

sufferers relieved exceeded three millions. Whilst many of India's

sons gazed up at the cloudless sky with the calm desperation of

fatalists, the Government and missionaries fought side by side to

repel hunger and death. England subscribed £550,000 through the

Mansion House Relief Fund alone. The scourge fell most heavily on

the Central Provinces, and the paternal Government had not only to

deal with present necessity, but to provide for the future. Our

illustration is copied from a photograph of a scene in Central

India. An English Government servant sits at a table covered with

money from the Mansion House Fund, and he is granting fifteen rupees

to a cultivator for seed rice. A crowd of applicants for similar

relief surround him.

[Illustration: DISTRIBUTING MANSION HOUSE MONEY IN INDIA.

(_Photo: Rev. A. Logsdail_)]

For Old and Young.

By a curious coincidence two of the various works which call for

notice this month are by present contributors to our own pages, and

two are by future contributors. It is unnecessary to deal with the

former at length--even if space permitted--and it is sufficient

to state that Dr. Joseph Parker's second volume of his series of

"Studies in Texts" (Horace Marshall and Son) is as full of pregnant

and forceful thoughts as its predecessor; whilst in "Love to the

Uttermost" (Morgan and Scott) our old friend, the Rev. F. B. Meyer,

has tenderly and reverently expounded the principal incidents and

texts contained in the latter portion of the Gospel of the disciple

"whom Jesus loved."--From Mr. Elliott Stock comes a small volume

of "Addresses to all Sorts and Conditions of Men," which have been

delivered at various times and in various places by Archdeacon

Madden, who is well known as an earnest and gifted preacher to

young men, and we can but hope that these outspoken truths may,

in their more permanent form, be the means of much lasting good.

We hope shortly to introduce Archdeacon Madden more directly to

our readers by means of our own pages, and also Dr. R. F. Horton,

who is responsible for "The Commandments of Jesus," which has just

reached us from Messrs. Isbister. It should be emphasised at once

that the book does not deal with the commandments given to Moses,

but with the commandments delivered by our Lord whilst on earth. Dr.

Horton claims that a careful study of these will prove that they

form "a sufficient, authoritative, and exact rule of life" at the

present day, and he has ably upheld and explained what he so happily

terms "the eternal code of Jesus."--To turn from theological

to lighter works, we are pleased to draw attention to Mr. S. H.

Hamer's "Whys and Other Whys" (Cassell and Co.), which would form

an admirable present for little people. The author tells a number

of humorous stories of "Curious Creatures and their Tales," which

will amuse and delight the children, whilst the many quaint and

clever illustrations by Mr. Neilson combine to make this one of the

best gift-books of the season.--For the little ones and also to

"children of a larger growth" we can heartily commend Mrs. Orman

Cooper's life of "John Bunyan, the Glorious Dreamer" (Sunday School

Union), which is written from an extensive knowledge of the subject

(gained principally from many years' residence in Bedford), and is

also copiously illustrated.--We have also to acknowledge the receipt

of "Rabbi Sanderson" (Hodder and Stoughton) by Ian Maclaren, which

forms a companion to his former short story, "A Doctor of the Old

School," though we feel it is not so brilliant as the latter; of

"Neil Macleod" (same publishers), an interesting and well-written

story of literary life in London; and also of "Silver Tongues"

(Morgan and Scott), which consists of a series of talks to the

young by the Rev. John Mitchell, based on simple objects of common

knowledge, such as a leaf, a thimble, flowers, etc., and enriched by

many appropriate lessons.

Four Anchors from the Stern.

These anchors, our Revised Version tells us, the sailors "let go"

on St. Paul's disastrous voyage towards Rome, "fearing lest haply

we should be cast ashore on rocky ground." There is many a reef of

rocks which threatens a young man or woman's barque, as it is pushed

off across the waters of life's ocean; and, at the close of this

century, one such reef is certainly the neglect and desecration

of the Sabbath. It is difficult, perhaps undesirable, to lay down

minute rules upon a subject concerning the details of which good

folks conscientiously differ; but, in days when the social trend

is distinctly towards laxity, there are four main principles which

must be binding on all who acknowledge the New Testament as the

supreme law of life. Little, comparatively, is said there about the

observance of the first day of the week, but that little is very

helpful and suggestive. (1) Sunday should be a day of joy. It was

"with great joy" that the holy women returned from the sepulchre

after the resurrection. Let us try and make Sunday bright and

happy, especially to children and to the poor. (2) Sunday must

be a day of worship. The disciples were wont to meet together to

break bread in remembrance of their Master, and (Acts xx. 7) to

hear a sermon. (3) Sunday must be a day of generosity and kindness.

The apostle specially enjoins that each one should "lay by him in

store, as he may prosper." The spirit of this command must forbid

selfish entertainments and recreations, which impose extra toil on

hard-worked servants. (4) Sunday should be a day of rest, and (to

some extent, at least), of holy contemplation. St. John the Divine

at Patmos was "in the spirit on the Lord's Day," when he saw the

vision of the New Jerusalem. Sundays upon earth are a preparation

for "the Sabbaths of Eternity." Neglect and desecration are "rocks

ahead." Young men and maidens who fare forth into the world, and are

apt to be driven rockward by the powerful and dangerous currents of

public opinion, will find that these four stout scriptural anchors

will hold their craft secure and fast.

Crowns of Thorns and Crowns of Righteousness.

A man called upon President Lincoln, introduced himself as one of

his best friends, and asked for a Government post, then vacant, on

the ground that it was solely through the applicant's exertions that

he was elected to the Presidency. "Oh, indeed," said Lincoln; "then

I now look upon the man who, of all men, has crowned my existence

with a crown of thorns. No post for you in my gift, I assure you.

I wish you good-morning." Thus it is that, when we obtain them, we

care nothing about things that once were objects of our ambition. It

will not be so with the never-fading crowns of righteousness that

are the rewards of another and happier world.

[Illustration: MISS HARRISON.

(_The veteran Leicester Sunday-school teacher._)

(_Photo: A. Pickering, Leicester._)]

The Leicester Silver Medallist.

Many of our readers will be pleased to see the accompanying

portrait of Miss Anne Harrison, the veteran Sunday-school teacher

of Leicestershire, who was recently awarded the Silver Medal and

Presentation Bible for the longest known period of service in that

county. Fifty-eight years ago Miss Harrison commenced work in

the Sunday-school attached to the Baptist Chapel in Harvey Lane,

Leicester, and is still to be found at her post Sunday after Sunday,

devoting all her energies to the cause which is so near her heart,

and which she has so faithfully served for over half a century.

=ROLL OF HONOUR FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS.=

The =Special Silver Medal= and =Presentation Bible= offered for

the longest known Sunday-school service in the county of =Sussex=

(for which applications were invited up to November 30th) have been

gained by

MR. CHARLES WATTS,

14, Western Road, Hove,

who has distinguished himself by =fifty-one= years' service in the

county, forty-nine of which were spent in Christ Church Sunday

School, Montpelier Road, Brighton.

As already announced, the next territorial county for which claims

are invited for the Silver Medal is

=WILTSHIRE=,

and applications, on the special form, must be received on or before

December 31st, 1898. We may add that =Durham= is the following

county selected, the date-limit for claims in that case being

January 31st, 1899. This county, in its turn, will be followed by

=Devonshire=, for which the date will be one month later--viz.

February 31st, 1899.

* * * * *

_Erratum._--Susan Hammond, the Essex County Medallist, was

inadvertently described in our November number as Miss Hammond

instead of Mrs. Hammond.

=THE QUIVER FUNDS.=

The following is a list of contributions received from November 1st

up to and including November 30th, 1898. Subscriptions received

after this date will be acknowledged next month:--

For ="The Quiver" Christmas Stocking Fund=: Jessie B., Clerkenwell,

2s. 6d.; A School Girl, Stockport, 3s.; A. Newport, Dorchester,

1s.; L. Holland, Crouch End, 2s.; C. D., Bradford-on-Avon, 2s.; A

Sunday Scholar, 1s.; M. T., 3s.; E. E., Newmarket, 3s.; B. Burston,

Moreland Court, 1s.; A Few Friends at Hazelwood, 5s.; F. S. T.,

1s.; R. S., Crouch End, 5s.; E. M. Ellis, Derby, 1s.; Mrs. S.,

Newport, 5s.; Mrs. J. Cunningham, West Kensington, 5s.; E. Baylis,

Woldingham, 10s.; Violet, 2s.; H. D., 10s.; G. S. Andrews, 3s.;

A Reader, 2s.; E. R. Boys, Warlingham, 3s.; M. A., Kilburn, 1s.;

Sympathy, 1s. 6d.; Mrs. Anderson, 1s.; Anon., Croydon, 2s. 2d.; M.,

Horsham, 5s.; S. L. G., Camberwell, 5s.; Anon., East Grinstead,

10s.; Anon., Dublin, 1s.; W. Dellar, 1s.; Little Florrie, Brighton,

2s.

For "_The Quiver_" _Waifs' Fund_: J. J. E. (132nd donation), 5s.;

A Glasgow Mother (102nd donation), 1s.; S. A., Newport, 10s.; A

Swansea Mother, 5s.

For _Dr. Barnardo's Homes_: An Irish Girl, 6s. 6d.; E. E.,

Newmarket, 2s.

* * * * *

The Editor is always pleased to receive and forward to the

institutions concerned the donations of any of his readers who wish

to help the movements referred to in the pages of THE QUIVER. All

contributions of one shilling and upwards will be acknowledged.

[Illustration: decorative]

THE QUIVER BIBLE CLASS.

(BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCRIPTURE LESSONS.)

QUESTIONS.

25. Why was the place where our Lord performed His first miracle

called Cana of Galilee?

26. Why was such a large quantity of water provided at Jewish feasts?

27. How many disciples were with Jesus at the marriage in Cana of

Galilee?

28. What proof have we that Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrim

or great council of the Jews?

29. In what words does our Lord refer to His crucifixion while

speaking to Nicodemus?

30. What was the piece of land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph?

31. In what way could the woman of Samaria speak of Jacob as "our

father"?

32. How did the Samaritans show their belief in Jesus as the

Redeemer of all mankind?

33. In what way did our Lord manifest His Divine power to the

nobleman of Capernaum?

34. At what celebrated place in Jerusalem did our Lord heal a man

who had been ill for thirty-eight years?

35. Quote words in which Jesus speaks of Himself as the Judge of the

quick and dead.

36. Why was it that when our Lord said to the Jews "My Father

worketh hitherto, and I work," they sought to kill Him?

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON PAGE 192.

13. He broke the most solemn oath which he had made to the King of

Babylon (2 Chron. xxxvi. 13).

14. His eyes were burned out, and he was taken prisoner to Babylon

(Jer. lii. 11).

15. The prophecy of Ezekiel, who foretold that Zedekiah should die

at Babylon, but should not see it (Ezek. xii. 13).

16. He says the revelation of the Old Testament was given at various

times, and in many different ways, but the Gospel was revealed to

mankind by the Son of God Himself (Heb. i. 1, 2).

17. "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister

for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb. i. 14).

18. It declares the divinity of Christ and records the deeper

spiritual truths of His teaching (St. John i. 1-14, and xx. 31).

19. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (St. John i. 14).

20. "Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way

before Me" (Malachi iii. 1, and iv. 5).

21. "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy

God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself" (Deut.

vii. 6; St. John i. 11).

22. When his brother, St. Philip, tried to bring him to see Jesus,

he said, "We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the

prophets, did write" (St. John i. 45).

23. Jesus said unto him, "Before that Phillip called thee, when thou

wast under the fig tree, I saw thee" (St. John i. 48).

24. As Jesus passed by St. John said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" (St.

John i. 36).

* * * * *

Transcriber's note:

Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals.

The carat character (^) followed by letters enclosed in curly

brackets indicates that the following letters are superscripted.

(Example: March 1^{st.}).

Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.

Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as

printed.

The cover for the eBook version of this book was created by the

transcriber and is placed in the public domain.

Page 266: "God answered Job out _out of_ whirlwind." The transcriber

has change this line to: "God answered Job _out of_ the whirlwind."c

domain.