when it has failed to do its full duty in this regard, but not often or long. From the days of the prophets forward those who have stood as the exponents of the Word of God have as a body contended against the evils that have successively arisen. We are strongly persuaded that much will depend upon the attitude taken by this class with reference to the gambling evil as to what its fate is to be.

What, then, shall our preachers do to stay this mighty current of evil? One thing, certainly. Let them present as forcibly as lies in their power the inherent wrong there is in it. Gambling is only another name for stealing, whether it be gambling on the sidewalk, as that of our little street gamins in their games of pitch-penny, or over the athletic contests between our collegiate institutions, or in the pool-rooms, or on the race-track, or in the Stock Exchange. Let it be declared with no uncertain voice that every attempt to get something for nothing, to take from a neighbor, whether money or article of greater or less value, without rendering an equivalent, is on a par with putting one's hand into the neighbor's pocket and removing that which belongs to him, without his knowledge or consent. From a moral standpoint there is no difference in the transactions. As Charles Kingsley wrote in "A Letter to the Young Men of Chester :" "Betting is wrong; because it is wrong to take your neighbor's money without giving him anything in return. Earn from him what you will, and as much as you can. All labor, even the lowest drudgery, is honorable; but betting is not laboring nor earning; it is getting money without earning it, and more, it is getting money, or trying to get it, out of your neighbor's ignorance. Furthermore, gambling is a direct violation of the command against covetousness, which," as the apostle says, "is idolatry." It is expressive of an inordinate passion for that which one is unwilling to seek along legitimate lines. Money-making is not wrong when the

The in

methods of its acquisition are not wrong, or when duty does not call to some higher service; but money-getting or money-craving which is really, if not confessedly, against the will of the owner, is wrong. These truths should ring out from our pulpits as truths of that law which, as well as the Gospel of grace, it is the duty of the pulpit to proclaim; but its duty does not end here. The pulpit stands not only for right, but for rights; and therefore it should be its effort to create such a sentiment as shall lead to a determined effort to secure the enforcement of such laws as bear upon the conservation of the public morals. Whatever wrongs the neighbor wrongs the self. terest of all is involved in the interest of the one; and where any practice tends to undermine the well-being of even the humblest citizen in a State, there the well-being of the entire State -that is, of every member in it-is proportionately undermined. To demand that one neighbor shall not injure another, even with his consent, is the duty of every good citizen, and pre-eminently of those who occupy stations where the public conscience finds expression. Let our preachers urge upon their hearers the putting forth of every effort to secure the enactment and enforcement of laws prohibitory of all forms of evil, by combining at the polls to elect men who shall stand for righteousness, and by bringing every legitimate stress to bear upon those already in office, so that they shall perform the obligation resting upon them as public officials, to whom the interests of the commonwealth should be supreme.

One thing further. We believe that the time is ripe for the organization of all the moral forces of the country against this evil, which has been brought so conspicuously to the front. In certain of our States, as in New Jersey, Citizens' Leagues have been formed for the purposes already indicated. We believe it would be well to have such leagues organized in every State in the Union. In the organization referred to

no small proportion of its influence is due to the united action of the clergy of the State, in which it exists. One in their convictions as to the enormity of the evils which they have combined to overthrow, they have succeeded in stirring up their members to join with. them in demanding the enforcement of laws already upon the statute books and in endeavoring to secure still better protection of their rights. Conscious that they represent the real voting force of the State, their legislators have felt the necessity of heeding their protests. That the forces of evil are in the minority in every one of our States we believe to be an acknowledged fact. Let there be but combination among the forces that oppose them, and the issue is certain. We call upon our readers to assist in this work of combination. Organize. Organize. ORGANIZE.

"Consistency, Thou Art a Jewel." Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee. -Luke xix. 22.

It is always a pleasure to be enabled to turn his own guns upon the enemy. When he finds himself compelled to forsake his position and leave his batteries in the hands of those against whom they have long been trained, it is with peculiar satisfaction they make use of his ammunition to accelerate his retreat. So we confess ourselves feeling over the present attitude of two of the most strenuous advocates of the system of license, as the best means of limiting the traffic in intoxicating liquors, the one a well-known journal in the North, the other an equally wellknown representative of the Southern press. The former, treating of the "fatal cigarette,' says: "Certain reformers are urging an increase in tax on these troublesome articles. The tax is now 50 cents a thousand; but even if the tax were, as has been suggested, raised to $8 a thousand, would there be any material diminution of the evil? If ten cigarettes cost 15 cents a certain

BY REV. WILBUR F. CRAFTS. THE Interior recently reported that 2163 petitions against Sunday opening of the World's Fair had been received in Chicago. This is the worst thing ever said against the pastors of this country. Not all these petitions are from churcltes; not even 2000 of them; which means that the great majority of the 70,000 ministers have for a year and a half turned a deaf ear to the calls for petitions sent to them again and again through the press and also by mail at great cost. At least 150,000 petition blanks have been sent out, many pastors having received at least five reminders by mail, besides others in their papers. Every pastor should have seen to it that the petition was endorsed by his church, by his Young People's Society, and by any college Y. M. C. A., W. C. T. U., or other friendly organization in his community. All these together should have sent 100,000 petitions to Washington and Chicago in duplicate, instead of a paltry 2000. The roar of our Waterloo in our ears and the couriers appealing for reinforcements, and this our response! When the roll is made up what a shame to the

ministers of Meroz who have neglected to rally to this battle! The Reform Bureau, 55 Ninth Street, Room 5, Pittsburgh, Pa., will supply petition blanks

for both Washington and Chicago, to prevent both Sunday opening and liquor selling at the Fair, to all who apply with stamps.

Denominational Unity.

WE began with the March number a series of articles by representative writers on the above theme. The contribution of Bishop Coxe has doubtless been read with much interest by all to whom there has come a desire that the prayer of our Divine Master may be realized. The bearing of such a realization upon the efficiency of the Church in its work of evangelizing the world is too well known to call for any extended comment here. That sectarian differences have been one of the most serious hindrances in the way of that work has long been felt, especially in the foreign fields, where a divided Church is confronting a united foe. That there should be rivalry instead of combined action is a reproach that must sorely try the heart of Him who is longing for the time when He shall see that for which He gave His life realized. May the discussion of the question in our pages serve to hasten the time when the reproach shall be wiped out! The fervent prayer of Jeremy Taylor may well become that of every Christian heart: "O Holy Jesus, King of the saints and Prince of the Catholic Church, preserve Thy spouse, whom Thou hast purchased with Thy right hand, and redeemed and cleansed with Thy blood! Oh, preserve her safe from schism, heresy, and sacrilege! Unite all her members with the bands of faith, hope, and charity, and an external communion when it shall seem good in Thine eyes. Let the daily sacrifice of prayer and sacramental thanksgiving never cease, but be forever presented to Thee, and forever united to the intercession of her dearest Lord, and forever prevail for

the obtaining for each of its members grace and blessing, pardon and salvation."

An Interesting Experiment. APROPOS of the subject of denominational federation, which is taking up much of the thought of the Church of to-day, we look upon the experiment now being tried by the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Denver, Col., with considerable interest. Beginning with the first Sunday in January, arrangements were made for a series of sermons in which representative ministers of the various leading denominations answer the question as to why they are what they are: Why I am a Disciple; a Presbyterian; a Congregationalist; a Methodist; a Lutheran; an Episcopalian; a Baptist; a Christian; and finally, Why I am for Christian union. Would that there might be so clear an exposition of the comparatively trivial differences between these bodies of Christian brethren that all who hear the series might come to think, After all, we are only denominationalists in a very insignificant sense; the important thing is that we are one in Christ Jesus! Thus would one of the great obstacles in the way of the progress of the Church as a whole be removed, at least in Denver, perhaps throughout our land and the world.

thought, with one eye on the platform. Whatever could point a moral or adorn a tale' he carefully appropriated and thrust into some mental pigeon-hole, where he could lay hands on it and bring it out on occasion. In speaking of his habit of preparation, he said: 'The chief thing I aim at is to master my subject. Then I earnestly try to get the audience to think as I do.' Appreciation, appropriation, application, are the trine elements of ministerial as of oratorical success. It may be said with truth that the preacher should never be out of his study except when he is in the pulpit. Every place should be to him a study. The street, the home of his parishioner, the social resort, the museum, the library, the place of amusement, all should be regarded by him as offering opportunities for the better qualifying of himself for that which is his distinctive work-the preaching of the Gospel of the grace of God. If he so regards them he will never run dry. His presentation of truth will ever be fresh and refreshing.

Pulpit Language.

WE commend to our readers the terse utterances of President Patton with reference to the language in which our preachers should deliver the messages entrusted to them. "It should be,' says he, "the English of to-day. We want that kind of English that is now so pat and full of pith, that is heard everywhere on the street, and which the newspapers have learned so well how to use effectively." The essence of effectiveness is simplicity. Nowhere more than in the pulpit should words that have to be defined be avoided. Professor John P. Gulliver, of Andover Theological Seminary, said in a recent sermon, that he one time asked President Lincoln, whom he knew well, how it was that he had acquired such a remarkable happiness in his way of putting things. "Well," said Mr. Lincoln, "if I've got any power that way, I'll tell you how I suppose I came to

get it. You see when I was a boy, over in Indiana, all the local politicians used to come to our cabin to discuss politics with my father. And I used to sit by and listen to them, but father wouldn't let me ask many questions, and there were a good many things I didn't understand. Well, I'd go up to my room in the attic and sit down, or pace back and forth, till I made out just what they meant. And then I'd lie awake for hours oftentimes, just a-putting their ideas into words that the boys round our way could understand." There is beauty as well as strength in simplicity. Plainness and ugliness are by no means synonymous, though by an abuse of language they have come to be so regarded. The grandest passages in the writings of the greatest of the apostles are those in which he uses "great plainness of speech." It is he who becomes as a little child in expression as well as in character who does best service in the pulpit, "leading" his hearers into the truth which it is their supreme interest to know.

One Cause of Ministerial Failure.

IN explaining the reason for the failure of the first trans-Atlantic cable, Peter Cooper said: "In passing it into the vat manufactured for it, where it was intended to lie under water, the workmen neglected to keep it immersed, and on one occasion when the sun shone very hot down into the vat, its rays melted the gutta-percha, so that the copper wire inside sunk down against the outer covering." The minister who is not careful to keep himself immersed in the Spirit of the Master, but allows himself to come into too familiar contact with the spirit of the world, is but a poor conductor of the truth which he is intended to convey, and should not wonder if his ministry prove a failure. Of none is it more true that he must live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit, if he would know the joy of success in the winning of souls to Christ.

Clerical Anecdotes.

Ir was in an assembly of one of our prominent denominations. The question under discussion was the deficiencies in the benevolent funds. The elders claimed that if the ministers would only all present the objects faithfully the people would respond. One minister in reply said that a minister could do very little when he had to carry a fault-finding elder around on his back all the year. This provoked the following anecdote from an elderly clergyman from the South. He said:

Mr. Moderator, this discussion reminds me of a story I once heard. A man was driving a lot of cows a long distance on a very warm day. Finally one of the cows gave out, and lay down. After letting her rest for a time, the man tried to get her up, but she had become sullen. He finally resorted to twisting her tail, which also failed. He was about to go on with his other cattle when a patent medicine man came along. He inquired into the trouble, and when told, he asked if he might try his hand. Having permission he took a small bottle of medicine and poured part of its contents on the cow and rubbed it in a little. Very soon the cow jumped up, and with tail in the air went bounding down-hill, up-hill, and bellowing, as far as she could be seen or heard. The man who owned the cow turned dryly to the medicine man and asked, "What'll you take for the rest that's in that bottle ?" "Why," says the medicine man. "Bekase, I want you to rub the rest of it on me, I've got to ketch that cow." The assembly became wild, and the anecdote did not need to be applied.

A CLERGYMAN in Minneapolis was lately called upon to officiate at a very fashionable wedding. After the service was performed, the happy groom called him to one side and asked "what his charges were." The minister replied, that he was not in the habit of making a charge. "Well," replied the groom, "I will call and see you later." The happy groom called the next week and presented the reverend gentleman with a dozen sticks of chewing-gum. T. S. E.

A RAILROAD meeting was being held in the school-house of a German settlement in Indiana, for the purpose of securing the right of way for a new road. Several lawyers spoke and then introduced a young clergyman whom they had taken with them. By mixing a little German in his speech and telling a few humorous stories he created considerable enthusiasm. After telling the advantages that the road would bring, he said, "Now when the vote is taken those who are in favor must do with those who are opposed to it as we used to do with the new students who came to college, and whom we were anxious to get into our society. The night before the meet

ing we would take them home with us, treat them, tell them stories, sleep with them, and the next day they joined the society feeling firstrate." Then the vote for the road was taken. Apparently everybody rose, but when the opposition was called for, one man stood up. No sooner had he risen than a Dutchman jumped to his feet and exclaimed, "Mister President, I moves dat Rev. takes dat man home mit him and schleeps mit him." W. L. T.

In the town of B, on the Clyde, there resided one of the merchant princes of Glasgow. When I knew him he was an old man of over eighty, and was alone for the most part, except for the housekeeper and another servant. The collector for the Bible Society, an excellent member of my congregation, was in the habit of calling at his door, as at all others, quarterly, for contributions. For years she persevered in doing so without receiving anything. At last as she was retreating down the avenue as usual, the housekeeper called loudly upon her to come back. "The master is going to give you something, I think; he is in a real good humor, and he says it is too bad to let you always go away." With high hopes she was shown into the parlor. The old man smilingly welcomed her, and as he fumbled for his purse he said: "You see, Mrs. S., I am an old man and will soon be away. I don't like the idea of your coming year after year to my door and getting nothing for so good an object as the Bible Society. I must give you something." Hope rose in her heart. She pictured to herself a fabulous sum to be handed in at the treasurer's door to-morrow. The aged fingers tremblingly opened the purse and presented her with a shilling! (twenty-five cents.) A few months later he died, leaving behind him personal property of the value of £400,000. An incident of his death-bed was in keeping with the above. His daughter had come at the first signs of dissolution. Much against his will she sent for a physician from Glasgow. He mumbled that the doctor would "no doubt drive down from the city, instead of taking the tram, just for the purpose of imposing a big fee."

Evidently fearing this, which actually took place, he had his housekeeper bring the keys of the grain-chest in the stable, and put them under his pillow. The physician arrived, made his visit, and withdrew to have lunch. The coachman asked for some oats. The housekeeper mentioned to his daughter about the keys. She quietly slipped into the sick-room and was abstracting the keys, when the dying man roused himself and angrily asked what she wanted with the keys. On learning that it was as he had feared, he said: "Put them back! put them back! the doctor should bring his own corn. I'm not going to pay his big fee and feed his horses besides !"