The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 6, 1898, Page 18

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1898. The Greatest Problem of the Chureb. HIS is an age of problems, soctal, political, ethical, practical and spirftual. As the brain of humanity becomes more and more evenly developed by reason of the greater and more widely diffused educational facilities which the past century has bequeathed to us, it more and more concerns itself with the discussion of conditions and questions which formerly were either ignored or accepted without comment. The attitude of the moment is interrogative. rstand our environment more clearly than did those who As we have grown to und have gone before us, we have begun to question more sharply con- cerning our responsibilities in regard to each other and the world around us, and these questions constitute the problems of the hour. The ¢! h has its problems; what the greatest of the&e are, in the estir of some of our most prominent clergymen of different creeds and denominations, is here shown: ik Kite cal nor ecclesiastical, which is to is neither theolo; It is not that of The problem say, 1t is not a problem of doctrine nor polity. ~__ baptism, the Sabbath, predestination, | future punishment, apostolic succes- divorce or any of the ever-living issues presenting themselves before the authorities of the church. s larger than any or all of these. It Is and christianize the complex It is not a question either te community, wealth, soeiety, not a cha able institution. ndamental, in the church. Its busine 1 lves by developing in them the best; salvation, 1. , their character, according to the , and saving them and their world, not from but to all that is good and true. rch reach the world?" of the ct ch then is that of reaching ple for This includes method. Method in church work is doctrine, It requires a social conscience, the prac- and a knowledge of men. It demands a living th, not loaded with dogmas long dead, hut an It ie te the problem than to solve it. The man for hour is the man to lead the church out to the people; to bring e into the church. Its misslon is variously understood. To st i the servant of the individual, to the socialist to some theologians the custodian of doc- the he d hypoerites, to the beggar a dispenser of chari- t a friend of the Let us hold to its mission, mption of the world, The success of the church in solving 7 is not to be tested by the size of the con ations or of the church spire, by the eloquence of the preacher or one phase of its life. The greatest problem of the church is not how to save its dis- g C not how to meet the oppositions of °nce, or to e _ correct the world’s skepticism, not A J. WELLS, D.D. | Romapism for a divided Protestantism, et | nor the Protestant revolt for a united Second Unitarfan ¢ | hierachy. - Not even the social ques- > tion These are all incidental, and the greatest problem of the church would remain If these were swept how to make moral m: hood. This is the want of the s men. There would be no shadow on the fac if we could trust the men we elect to manage and state. There would be no uncertainty about / in Cuba and the Philippines if it were unrighteo the heart of the nation. The church bbles about it theologies. never had much rela- the world's life. They have le: They matched the of an age gone by; they are out of joint with ours. When religion enough to be indifferent about outworn creeds forms and concerned to shape and life; when its 1 “I am,” not the “I was it is done with the is in the eals af zion and begins to take & manly part in the affairs world by the practice of religic when it has insight rceive that the life of God is in the soul of every man and the moral law s to be found in the market place as well as on Sinal, then its problem will be greatly simplified. For we live in a divine universe and ‘“the current knows the way if we do not.” But always the world’s want is men, and the on mission of the is to inspire to better living. It alone sets itself to the task ng moral manhood and womanhood. The aim is noble enough command every man’s sympathies; the methods of work anti- i enough often to excite every man’s derision. But the task at; the problem is difficult. And to-day it i omplicated by a thought. The foundations of traditional theology The reaction in the public mind invites to skep- m. is in morals is at hand. The social unrest.is profound. The political corruption is alarming. And the church “plays its little games around the altars of religion,” and is without power. She carries too much baggage. She lives too much in_the past. Throw away impedimenta. Trust in the living God. Believe in righteousnes: e The greatest problem of the church is first to make good the purpose of its own existence, the bringing of the world to God. The N commission is “to all the world and to every creature.” The proposition needs, I think, to be narrowed somewhat to be of prac- This {8 no indorsement of bizarre methods. They are never necessary. But in the changed conditions of life let church eople exercise the same good gense they display in business—'cater to the trade” by ways attractive and interesting to those we would save. In many sections of this city the church should provide gym- nastums, baths, clubs, games, reading-rooms and parlors as well as prayer-meetings. The homes of wage-earners are for the most part without parlors and the saloon has become the clubroom of the workingman and boy, with all the degeneracy and ruin which fol- lows to them. What are church people dreaming about that they do not meet these concrete conditions with concrete preventive ap- pliances? It is not strictly necessary to & fulfillment of the Scriptures that church services in San Francisco should demonstrate that “the c}fml?rfi';.‘()t this world are wiser in their generation than the children o 2] ¥ There {8 not a church in San Francisco having a converted con- secrated minister and ome-fourth of its membership but may be made a great success In Its legitimate work by a wise expenditure of from $100 to $300 per month over its regular current expenses. And there is not a church but can afford it if they will estimate for the work of God as they do for their own business and personal outlays. P ‘What i1s the greatest problem for the church to solve? The church herself answers this question. It is how to per- . suade men to give her an impartial hearing, accept her doctrines and obey H. H. WYMAN, C. S, P, her precepts. The great difficulty in accomplish- ing this is the opposition which she doctrines are repugnant to the inclinations of ) ; & suffers because h fallen human natfire. I 40 not think that any merely natural means can effect a change in the attitude of the world toward the church, In fact her progress has always been proportionate to the sanctity of her members. The Apostles and those who have most closely imitated them, the great have been the chief instruments which God has used in spreading the faith in the world. o I do not recognize that there is any one great problem confront- ing the church, unless we group the many which are about of equal i s o importance under the one general head | P —“How to work in all ways for the J()CH‘NVHPEP'!{(HILL(; D.D.. best good of humanity.” vy Rieeilen i, The labors of the church, though AR all tending in one certain direction, flow alontg different channels and it is not only the church’s privilege, but its duty, in many cases, to take cognizance of many things which do not come within the sphere of evangelical work. One of the questions with which the church should deal and toward the proper settlement of which all church people should exert their influence is that of divorce. The present laxity of our divorce laws ard the sliding scale upon which they operate in different States constitute a menace to soclety to which no true Christian can be indifferent, since menacing society it menaces the church. We should have a national law for divorce, and it should be of such a nature as to render marriage a far more serious business than it is considered at present. Temperance {s another work in which the church should assert itself. The dear, good, white-ribbon women are putting us to shame by their unselfish and untiring zeal in this matter—a matter which concerns the church most nearly and in which both clergymen and laymen should not only set a personal exampie to the world at large, but should do active and aggressive work for the betterment of mankind. A very important problem strictly germane to the church {s how to attract and hold the masses of the people. Catholicism does this to a great extent through the mothers, who teach the child from in- fancy by precept and example the importance of church-going and church-giving. Our Protestant churches are too apt to let the Sunday-school take the place of the church in the lives of the children and this js a deplorable mistake. Let the church take precedence always. The Sunday-school is a most excellent and blessed institution, but the child ould be taught to regard it as secopdary to the church, and the habit of church attendance should be debply implanted in earliest youth in order that good fruit may be borne in later days. ‘While there are many who consider materialism a great obstacle in the way of Christianity, I feel that this is a mistaken idea, since some of the greatest materialists of the age have deduced results from their reasonings which have helped rather than hindered the advance of true religion. The Bible will withstand and outlive all attacks that can be made upon it, and true Christianity will meet bravely and in time solve completely all the problems that come in its way. PR The greatest problem to be solved by the church, the most im- portan® duty that to-day devolves upon ministers of religion, is the correction of the seeming indifference to public worship displayed by all, but more especially by the young. Looser and logser the ties are growing day by day, feebler and feebler the power to draw and to hold within the embrace of the church the thousands of educated men and women who are rapidly becoming.the directors of the thoughts of their generation. Religion is said to be on the wane and one is often abashed and affrighted at hearing a fellow being assert with more candor than understanding, “Oh, I am not religious. We all believe in religion and in the beneficent moral effect ¢f a religious training. If it accomplish naught else but to impress upon the minds of men a sense and appreciation of their respo! ilities and obligations to society it has in the opinion of the many done much, and in mine all that can be reasonably ex- | RABBI J. NIETO, | Congregation Sherith s under the guise of amusement sets its play according to the intel- ligence and culture of the particular class of individuals before whom it is Intended to produce it. So with worship and go also with doc- trine and church dogma. The services do not imterest. They bhave not the charm of initiations in secret orders, for there the ceremony is always new to the new candidate, and they are eertainly not so full of meaning. Time was when the clergyman drew the lesson of the day from the ceremony, but the practice was rendered um- necessary when people became educated. So also when their senti- ments and feelings were sufficiently cultivated to admit of the epi- thet cultured. The refinement of feeling thus created revolted at the so-called orthodox but fairy-tale-like doctrines of hell, eternal torment, the anger of God and so forth. People do not want to have anything to do with these things at all and their sense of justice revolts at the idea of them. They desire a return to older and better methcds—a church where they will not be taught to hate their neighbors, but where they will hear expounded the laws of truth in a style consistent with the times and without the stage setting. Their minds, now taught to climb and seek the realms of spiritual truth divine, no more require the props of youth—mechanical emblems fashioned to distract. But thought and soul by intelligent doctrine rightly led, pleasure and pain their value truly told, will bring back to church and chapel the scattered fold, and religion triumphant will hold sway o'er all. oim e the church s how to make people see the benefits that are to come to them for rendering complete obedience to the divine law as presented through him. “God gave his only begotten son, Acting Bishop. that whoseever belleveth on him —————————————— ghould be saved.” He gave his son to be a ness,” “leader” and “corimander.” The great problem is to teach people to recognize him ‘‘as he is.” Paul said: ‘‘Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men * * * and not after Christ.” The philosophy of merr will not do as a means of pleasing God. God recognizes his own doctrine and not the doctrines of men. In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the com- mandments of men.” Notice, it i{s “vain” worship, Invalid, void, without effect. So many people admire Christ as a moralist and do not heed his teac‘hmgs in regard to doctrine, when that is the all important thing. “I know that my Father's commandments are life everlast- ing. If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine.” God gave his son to be a “witness,” and he told Pilate that he came into the world to “bear witness to the truth.” To the Jews he said: ‘If ye continue in my word ye shall know the truth.” “He that re- Jecteth me and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the ‘\_\'ord that I have spoken * * * shall judge him in the last day. Peter gives us the key to undenstand Scripture by “No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.” This is important. “He that believeth on me, as the Scriptures hath said.” How have they “said?” Why, that He is to be belleved as a “wit- ness,” followed as ‘a ‘“leader,” and obeyed as a ‘“‘commander.” *“If lfi.ny man will be my disciple let him take up his cross and fol- ow me,"” ‘We all want the best in this world, but it is not within our reach, but it is in the next, by accepting Christ as God gave Him to the world. The great problem then is to so present Christ to men that they may recognize that it is to their best and eternal Interest to be his disciples “in deed.” The' greatest problem of Christ as he is, and realize C. A. PARKIN, D,D, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ, 55 e In the parable of the grain of mustard seed and of the leaven in the meal our Lord teaches that, starting from a small beginning his kingdom shall grow slowly and ; quietly, but surely, until it shall fill { E-F‘-"g"OO'DCS; DND' | Ry nk S only purify hu- | st Baptist Churc) man lives, but its spirit will fill and —— transform human institutions, laws, literatures, arts and ecivilization itself. From the nature of things and in accordance with Christ’s teachings this work will take time. At the founding of Christianity the obstacles seemed utterly in- surmountable and they have been great i. every century of its his- tory, and they are great to-day. But at times-these obstacles seem to have been the stepping-stones of progress. Persecutions have been the means of spreading the Gospel. Paul's years of imprison- ment and subsequent martyrdom resulted in establishing Christianity more firmly. The blood of the martyrs has been the seed of the church. Opposition, obstacles, outward hindrances; it is not these which will prevent the final success of Christ's work in the world. Failure or success will be from within the church and not from without. Two things seem essential to the success of Christianity. 1. Christians must obey that final command of their risen Lord to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” This dves not mean that every Christian should be a foreign mis- siopary. It does mean that each one shall carry his religion into all’ departments of his life; his home, his business, his pleasures, his social and political life. These make up his “world” and in all these he is to be a preacher of the Gospel of Christ. This shall be the first business of his life and all else shall be secondary. Not to do this is to disobey his “marching orders.” There must be a consciousness of the presence and power of our divine Lord. Without that presence and power the Christian will utterly fail. Without that presence his strength and his faith will forsake him. There is the promise of our Lord: “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, and lo, I am with you always.” Whenever and wherever our Lord sends a Christian he goes with him with all power. What can be an obstacle or a hindrance if our Lord is with his people? 000000000000000000000000000000 Discussed by: RBev. Wm. Rader. Father Wyman. Dr. John Hemphilil. C. A. Parkin, D.D. Pastor Duane V. Bow: Pastor W. H. Tutt. Dr. A. J. Wells. Dr. John @. B. Wilson. Rabbi J. Nieto. E. A. Woods, D.D. (] ©0000000000000000000000000000000 problems of life—but they do mnot attend church; and they frankly tell us that science is more practical than the “scheme of salvation,” and that trying to adjust themselves to environment is of greater importance than “to be reconciled to God."” The creeds are outgrown; men’s views have so broadened that they can no longer be bound by mysterious and unreasonable state- ments which answered very well for the dark ages when people were under suthority and did not think for themselves, but they have no place in our day of freedom and rationality. Some Biblical critics have placed the Bible as one among many “books of life,”” and re- gard it a valuable contribution to the Hebrew and Greek literature, and its inspiration the same as that of Homer, Dante and Shakes- peare. Many ministers adapt themselves to this condition of re- ligious thought by preaching evolution and culture in the place of the creeds. Now, when the church can show that the Bible is a revelation of spiritual things—when it can show that the relation existing between God and man is an ever-ablding presence—and Providence—and that the future for man is hopeful and full of blessedness; when the church can answer satisfactorily—in harmony with all known truth —the questions which reason and conscience and heart cannot help asking, then the great problem of the church as to its influence with the people will be answered. Such a church, it is believed by many, to be already with us; prophesied in the Apocalypse—by the New Jerusalem—whose doc- trines will make all things new. Hundreds of ministers recognize the fact that we are living in a new dispensation, and that the second coming of the Lord—as the “spirit of truth”—is a revelation of the spiritual sense of the word, through Emanuel Swedenborg. When all things of the church are seen from its spiritual side and valued as to their relative importance, then one of its problems and its greatest one will be answered. For when theology is seen to be rational and religion practical men can believe in such a church and will love to attend its ministrations. e The greatest problem of the church to-day is the maintaining of its standards and the holding of the people to its traditions. - Practically the church is in evolu- \ tion. The question of its survival de- OOOOOOOOOOO W, H. TUBB, pends upon its ability to give a logical . Bethlshem Congregational Church. reason for its existence. The solution is in the church itself. The “survival of the fittest” will apply to all arganizations. The church was made for man, not man for the church, and the liberal tendencies of the age having awakened a spirit of inquiry, blind, unquestioning faith is a thing of the past. Men now desire to know, where formerly they were content to take many things on trust. To do the work for which the church was oreated it must he abreast of the times and in step with the maxrch of progress, In- dependency of thought and liberality in faith demand a larger con- ception of Christ, and a grander manifestation of His spirit, and this spirit is not confined to the church alone. The esthetic and the ideal, however alluring, cannot satisfy the spiritual in man; he is a worshiping being, and creates a God if he does not find one to his liking. The cry of the soul must be answered from Sinai and Calvary, not from the arena, the forum or the stage. The vital issues of a common faith must be contended for and the cross elevated above sectarian strife and bigotry. The church of to-day is losing its hold on the minds of men. Selfishness and greed, with strife, repel the honest seeker after druth, and faith is being interpreted by the individual. Conformity to the teachings of Christ will restore the prestige of the church. Freedom to worship God Is inalienable. The dullness of the pulpit is responsible for the drowsiness in ws. The ''Sermon on the Mount” is as grand to-day as when first delivered, and the Lord's prayer cannot be improved. “Our Father” tells of the brotherhood of mean. Truth has noth- ing to fear from error, nature cannot disagree with its God. Tha caterers for the entertainment of the masses study the wants and needs of the people. They are practical and persevering. "Min- jsters would do well to study the methods of mere pleasure seekers. Some have done so and the result is the “Institutional church.” The motto of which is “Every man to his work.” F¥or the patriarch and the youngest member there is something suitable, something genial and congenial, giving and receiving. The spiritual life deepens as the social expands, and the develop- ment of the whole man is considered. Athletice and belles-letters, field sports and fancy work, metaphysics and kindergarten, astrono- my and gastronomy, music and legitimate drama, all furnish valves for the escape of healthy energy. Young Men's Christian Associations and Institutes, Leaguers and the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor, girls’ clubs and mothers’ meetings, with the moral and physical forces of the church rightly applied, will perpetuate the grandest conception of God for man, snd high over all, the “preaching of the cross, which is the powsr of God unto salvation.” So mote it be! the The greatest problem of the church is Christian union. Jesus prayed “that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art In me and - I in thee, that they also may be in us; that the world may believe that thou didst send me.” It is a well- known fact that one of the elements of power of the early church and the They were R S L NI I FRANK S. FORD, D.D., Flrst Chrstian Church. tical church purposes the people about it is a destroyed. Spirit to make it, But we are ke you fishers of men. e they are. se the people were there on the hook that the fish wants. When the church a will give it a hearing, and pecple those who'come to CC0OD0C0O00D000 MILLIONS MADE e iiRRMING Farming does pay, if you know how to conduct it, and a large capital is not essential to success, as is shown by the rience of David Rankin, a armer of Atchison County, i, who has amassed an immense \griculture and stock rais- | pursuits alone he accu- immense fortune before em- | barking in other ventures called forth | by the desire to vary the investments | »f five millions. X the world contains no more successful farmer than Mr. Rankin, He now owns 2 acres of land in Atchi- , County, around the preity town of He has divided his land into | varying in gize from | Rankin had 12,000 acresi 320 in wheat and startling ex 640 to 3000 acr This year Mr. of corn, 1000 in oats, the rest in pasture. He annually feeds | about 10,000 head of cattle. His ship- | ar will be 11,250 head, or | ment this ¥ 25 carload 1 )1 years old Mr. Rankin start- | yake his fortume Y'ith a colt—a | his father—as his only capi- | je of his mental and physical | endowments. The colt was sold for $52 | A money invested in calves. He | ht an eighty-asre farm on , and farmed it in a systematic h judgment and close appii- | after his start he | ar of debt, and had ca owned hi was then married, without a dol- ash to his name, but soon had , bought horses and be- | e. He farmed in| -braska, and finally | settled on the prairies of Missouri, and made his home in Atchison. Here he | purchased h tensive tracts of land, | paying $6 to $12 an acre. Mr. Rankin is president of the First Nationa! Bank of Tarkio, head of the banking firm of Rankin, White & Laur of Westboro; president of a light and power company, and of the Rankin Au- ditorium Company. Nearly every shop in Japan for the gale of foreign goods is furnished with | a sign in a foreign language. No mat- | ter whether the language is intel ible | TS if it is only in foreign cha S t] is enough. Many of these signs | are a study. “The all countries Boot | and Shoe Small or Fine Wares”; “0ld | Curious”; ‘“Horseshoe Maker instruct by French horse leech “Cut_Hair Shop”'; “If you want sell watch, I will buy; if you want buy watch, I will sell. | Yes, sir, we will, all will. Come at my shop. Watch-maker”; “Hatter Native Country”; “Antematic of Nausea Ma- rina,” and *“The Housé Build' for the benefit. dite the accomplishment of the primal purpose in San 1d be practical and possibly helpful? that fails to obtain To do this requires primarily the afflatus of through its minister and membership, not authorized to expect results without s. Jesus taught His disciples adaptability of methods Henceforth thou shalt catch ing the teachings of His own figure to catch fish one Jesus taught in the wilderness and by the The fisher must seek the fish, not ) to take the hook he wants it to have he must put a dapts its methods to the people about it they and if the baptism of power be upon minister be entertained will remain to pray, 0OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0000000000000000000 - HUE DE BRUKELLES. 21 | rity and his books had begun to vield manufacture of all and best kinds of Hate and Caps.” ‘What are the methods pected. Here as else- a hearing and impress to fajlure and ought to be re- advanced and not in the temple and fish the fisher. And histor: certa Buat do B LOISOR, Fsser Par. s Bee-arel 99 VENTE Par Autorité de Justice A PARIS Le Hardi 11 9clobre 1898 Fac-Simile of Notice Ordering the Sale of Emil Zola's Effects at Auction. N Tuesday, October 11. there oc- curred in Paris one of the most interesting incidents of the many which have marked Zola's battle for right and justice in the Dreyius matter, and one which per- haps gave 1l better and more touch- ing evidence of the esteem in which he is held than any other. On the Saturday before there were posted throughout Paris hundreds of placards announcing ‘%.e sale of Emil Zola’s effects in .rder to satisfy the 30,000 francs judgment for damages against him in the Esterhazy case. To read these placards one would think to have found a collection of rarities, such as would require long and patient work, but a visit to the apart- ments gave a very different impression. What appears to haye been most lack- ing to the one who made this gathering of tapestries, screens, church orna- ments, Chinese works, curiosities of every style and kind, was certalinly not money ‘nor yet taste. It was patience. When Zola had risen abové medioc- him the income of a millionaire he be- gan to collect the materials for the en- joyment of his easge in the same way that he had been accustomed to gather the materials for a romance. With an rdor almost unparalieled he frequent- ed the auction houses and the shops of curio merchants. He read every morn- ing the auction gazettes and in travel- ing he hunted un all the brokers and dealers in curiosities. He bought right and left, never pricing an article. Only aiming to lose no time in satistying his desires. He had a mind to rest in a medieval chair and he hunted one up. He dreamed of a bunch of artificial flowers in a sarcophagus of marble transformed into a jardiniere and he never rested until he had realized his dream. Thus furnished and ornamented, his To my mind the great trouble is this, that the churches are still pursuing the fatuous course of constantly exhibiting too much of the shadow to the detriment of the substance. cleaving to obsolete and great insistence upon an unquestioned acceptance of doctrines and dogma that are out of joint with the time and inconsistent with the state of civilization and culture at this period. do not care for theatrical display in religious services. of correct conduct and has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with pomp or ceremony. of the world when, owing to the 16w mental condition of man, in stage setting agreeable to the environment of the several peo. ples was nece grammar school and at length find ourselves where object lessons are no more needed in our educational proce: The drama having for its main object the inculcation of mora!iu; rooms gave one an impression of be- ing incumbered. There wgs a billiard- room, with not room enough to play In & There is too much meaningless forms and ceremonies; too People in this age They have sufficiently to understand that true religion is a question They recognize that there were periods in the But we graduate from the kindergarten to the in the university, ry. the cue at its full length anywhere | room had been seized by the Sheriff, about the table. “h"bw'll ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SCENES IN CONNECTTON WITH THE DREYFUS AFFAIR IN PARIS Sale of Emil Zola’s household effects by order of the Court to pay the 30,000 francs damages assessed agalnst him. A plain table worth about 60 francs was the first plece to pass under the hammer. DUANE V. BOWEN, First New Jerusa'em Church Everything in this | with the exception of a portrait of Zola | enir. rd, our divine Lord with all power in heaven and in earth has promised to be with every Christian who goes forth to do his work snd no outside obstacles can prevent success. “The greatest problem of the church” is within the church itself and not in the outside world. . » 1 The greatest problem of the church is to so present its doctrines that tl.e people can see that its theological statements are rational its religious teachings practieal. Science has wrought havoc with many of the old and cherished ideas concern- Ing God and man and spiritual things. As men's views of nature have en- larged conceptions of ‘the divine have changed to harmonize with them, eand now the theological creeds of the past are as unsatisfac- tory as the scientific theories of ages ago. ands of thoughtful, earnest men and women who are interested in philosophy, ethics, political economy, and are grappling with all the OO0OOOOOOGOOOOOO00000000000000000OOOOO000000000000000000000000 EXTRAORDINARY AUCTION SALE OF ZOLA'S EFFECIS and by Manet. considered as a family souv- One bust of Zola, which bore the An admirer of Zola promptly bid 32,000 francs for it. This was the ogly bld and It was knocked down to him and the sale ended. Therefore we find thous- that she should have, churches? “to there.’ advice, “Go not out.” “Ig Christ divided? baptized into and another, Ye are God's building. is laid, Jesus Christ. date of 1866, was half hidden by a crown of leaves tled with a ribbon, which bore the inscription: ‘“To Emlle ®ola, battling for right and justice, ¥ In the same room,on a bust of wood, was a crown with the inseription: “To the sublime Zola, the glory and venera- tion of the civilized world.” Another crown, at the side, on a high wooden pedestal, was inscribed: “Homage to Emile Zola from the fifty-six instruc- tresses of La Haye.” The sale, such as it was, took place in an alleyway of the “Porte Cochere.” Zola, who kept no carriage, has used the alley as a lodging place for numer- ous mutilated marble statues; two sar- cophagi, brought, it was said, from the Borghese villa; a wooden virgin, an Ital- ian bas relief, an antique mask and a number of engraved stones, the whole constituting a most original decoration. The sale was announced to take place at noon, and for an hour before a crowd had been gathering — English and American ladles and gentlemen, Paris- ians of all classes, from the highest to the striking diggers on the exposition works. Reporters of the newspapers and agents of the auction houses were there in the way of business, though they had some idea of what was about to take place. It was a full hour and a half after the time set when the folding doors of the porte cochere were thrown open. The crowd started in. About forty found places, for across the alley, effectually blocking the way, was placed a table, behind which stood the auctioneer and the expert, with two men from the pub- lic auction-house, the Sheriff and some of Zola's friends, with a number of newsgatherers. Farther back, behind the glass doors of the vestibule, a group of females surrounded Mme. Zola, very nervous and excited. The table which served at the same time as a barricade and a desk for the auctioneer was first offered. It was appraised at 120 frgncs. Some one at the auctioneer's side bid 82,000 francs (about $6500). i “I am offered 32,000 francs,” sald the auctioneer, in the calmest tone, No one offered to bid further. “We want to see it.” cried a man in the uniform of a hotel. “We will show it to you,” replied M. Davist, and the two assistants raised the table above their heads for the crowd to see. It was of the style called Louis XIII, quite common and worth not more than 60 francs. “Thirty-two thousand francs is of- fered. Does any one bid more? Thirty- two thousand francs for the table— 32,000, once; twice, 32,000 Does any one offer more? “Sold to M. — «Fasquelle, editor,” sald the bidder. The sale was OVer. The comedy ordered by the law had been played. rapid spread of the Gospel was the unity of the church. one body and one spirit and were called in one hope. They had one Lord, one faith, one baptism, this with the divisions of Christianity to-day and you have a suf ficient answer for the present weakness, as compared with the pow of the church. These divisions not only weaken the power of the church, they confuse those who would become Christians. abroad, where the heathen says, " put at home, where the inquirer is met with ‘“‘to here,” He has but one alternative, which is to take Chris the name of Paul?” “I am of Y,” and another, carnal? Who are X, Y and Z, but ministers by whom ye believed? Other foundations can no man lay than that one God and father of all. Compare This is seen not only ‘“You have one book, why so many ‘Was Paul crucified for you? Or, were ye ‘Whereas one says, “I am of X,” “I am of Z," are ye not 0000000000000000C00000 TEACHING A WISE PARROT A well-known country Squire owned an equally well known parrot, which he christened Judy, because of its popu- larity and reputation for saying funny things. On one occasion the Squire was expecting his uncle for a visit, and thought it would be great fun if, on the arrival of the said uncle, Judy came out with: “Halloa, Uncle! How are you?” So one morning he tried to teach the phrase to the bird. Judy, however, was in a depressed mood, and she couldn’t be persuaded to talk or do any of her tricks. The Squire, who was an {ras- cible man, shouted violently: “Say uncle! Say uncle! Say uncle, you fool But Judy was obstinate, and no threats could make her say a word. The Squire thereupon gave way to his wrath, and, seizing Judy by the head, swung her round and round, then threw her out of the window. About half an hour afterward he heard a great screeching in his fowl yard. He hurried out and beheld nine- teen of his chickens lying dead, while Judy was pursuing the twentleth, at the same time shrieking: “Say, uncle, you fool! fool!”" Judy had, after all, learned her les- son, but too well. e A well-known physician gives an ac- count of an Irish gentleman who swam more than two miles down a river, got ashore and was subsequently discov- ered sleeping by the roadside, alto- gether unconscious of the extraordi- nary feat he had accomplished. Professor Fischnell of Bale writes of a young student of Wurtemburg who- used to play hide-and-seek while fast Say uncle, you asleep. His fellow-students knew of his propensity, and when he began wallkl) threw bolsters after him, which always eluded, jumping over bedsteads and other obstacles placed in his way. A gentleman was once discovered at 1 o'clock in the morning in a neighbor's garden engaged in prayer, evidently ugder the impression that he was in church, but otherwise in a deep sleep. A young girl given to sleep talking was in the habit of imitating the vio- lin with her lips, giving a preliminary tuning and scraping and flourishin, with the utmost fidelity. It puzz!ei her physielan a great deal until he learned that when an infant the girl lived in a room adjoining a fiddler, who often performed upon his instrument within her hearing. ottt S NERIRIIN An authority on microscopy states that the hair of a woman can be dis- tinguished by its construction from that of a2 man when examined through the microscope.