VOL. LIV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., MARCH 4, 1899.
NO. 9
'gxpzxicncz Qcp-xxXmnnt.
What Do You Mean to the People Who
Know You-.-What do You Stand For?
let Premium.—There come times in our
lives when it is well to stop, look around, and
take our bearings. Such a pause though brief
is good, for one may institute a court of in.
quiry and ask himself in all sincerity what do
I mean to the people about me? If we could
see ourselves and our actions from the standpoint from which our neighbors and friends
view them, how much unhappiness might be
averted. But it is almost impossible for us to
know exactly what we represent in the eyes of
others. To make life pleasant to those around
us, is one of the most beautiful of christian
duties, and can only be accomplished by liberality of mind and charity of heart. They
who boast of their independence of thought
and action are simply showing their own conceit and selfishness, and deserve the derision
of their fellows. Dependence is a great law
of our nature, and each Individual in some
degree influences, whether he wishes to ornot,
the lives that touch his. A certain mental and
spiritual atmosphere surrounds each person,
in other words, every one casts a shadow.
There hangs about each of us a kind of penumbra, a strange indefinable something which
is usually called personal influence. This
magnetism, If such we may call it, goes with
ua wherever we go. It cannot be put on or
off as we would a garment, but it is constantly
reaching out from our life like light from a
flame, or perfume from a flower. Thus without being conscious of it we are always influencing others by this peculiar personal power.
Others watch our deeds and their actions are
modified by ours. One noble act has turned
other lives toward a career of usefulness. The
power of influence is truly wonderful, not
even death puts an end to it. Then how carefully we need to guard itl Do our lives mean
blessing to the community in which we live?
There is no way of making sure that our influence shall be always helpful, except to be filled
with the spirit of Ohrlet. Just in the degree
that his spirit of love rules our lives will mean
what we ehould to those about us. We are going to leave our kindred and friends one of
these days. What are we going to leave to
them? Some of us will not have much money
to leave, some of us none at all. Oan we think
of leaving less than pleasant memories to
them? There is much said in these days
about woman's work; the greatest work any
woman can do will De to make her life such
that it will always carry sunshine to others.
Sometimes the housekeeper forgets this holy
privilege, and is absorbed in the routine work.
Homely duties have their place, but without
an earnest effort to add hope and beauty to
the lives about her, this busy woman will have
missed the blessedness of the larger living.
AU the world needs to become perfect,Is good
men and women, and out of such commonplace lives as oure, noble liveg can be made.
You remember what Ruskin says about the
black mud or slime of the city street, ln itself
moet repulsive, how it Is composed of four
elements, clay, carbon, soot, silica or sand,
and water; separate these, the clay particles
left to follow their own instinct of unity become a clear, hard substance, reflecting the
loveliest blue rays. We call it the sapphire.
The carbon changes its blackness for the
Power of reflecting all the rays of the sun; we
know it as the diamond. The sand arranges
•tself in a mysterious way and we have a
beautiful opal. Last, the water becomes a
dewdrop or a sparkling snowflake. And so
we fashion out of unpleasant surroundings
Kems of character which shall stand for all
that is puro and noble. There are so many
discouraged hearts on every side; may we not
carry too much hope and new inspirations?
Set the belle of our own eoul to ringing, and
opportunities for helping others will multiply. Let gratitude to (iod and kindness toward man, shine out through our faces, and
people will forget that our features are irregular and homely. One who delights ln scattering sunshine, who longs to transform some
part of the waste, weed-filled world into usefulness and beauty, can not utterly fall, but
will stand for much that is uplifting and helpful. How much hopeful words and kind
wishes smooth the rough path of every day,
the thoughtful reader can calculate from his
own experience. A Ueadkk.
Parke Oounty.
2d Premium.—This Is a search question that
I doubt if any one of m can answer truly.
What I mean to myself, what my desires,
wishes, alms in life are, I might tell, but what
I mean to others, well, that is something I
can never know this side the great unknown;
not until the book of accounts is opened can
any human being know what he or she has
meant to those around. I once heard a young
.woman eay that if one should speak of her
and say, "she is a Ohristsan," she would con
sider it the highest compliment, that could be
paid her. I feel a good deal ihe same way,
and when I eay the word Christian, I mean a
very great deal. I do not mean a person who
goes to church, who reads the Bible, who
makes public prayers and wjio leads meetings,
either man or woman. What I do mean, per
haps, I cannot tell. I mean a person who ie
kind-hearted and sympathetic, a person who
does not place money atthe head of the list
of desirable thinge. but who rather values the
feelings of others more, and who even thinks
It better to ba honest than to make a money
gain through underhanded means. I would
like to mean to my family its center or heart
around which all else might revolve. I do not
aim to be the ' head of the family" but I
should like to be its heart. I want my children to be able to come to me at all times and
all circumstances, absolutely certain of sympathy and love. I want them to feel that, although I cannot approve of their doings, I am
etill In sympathy with them, and thus have
their entire confidence at all times. I never
want to be too busy or too hurried or too tired
to lend a listening ear to them, oi any one
else who needs mc in any way. It is a blessed
thing to be needed, although it sometimes
seems a taxing thing. I want to mean—I
was about to say "just:" but I think I would
rather be merciful even than just. I ehould
never want to mean condemnation to a
wrong doer, no matter what tho wrong doing.
I hold there ie Inherent in every human eoul a
divinty, and that this however encrusted with
sin or shame, with wrong doing or evil, will
and must respond to an absolutely kindly and
sympathetic help. The wrong doer may be
overcome with temptation and yet the effect
of one one's kindness is never loet, although
it often seems to be. It U better to err on
the side of mercy than on the other side. Is
it not easier for you to do things if you know
some kindly one wants and hopes you will do
them, than it is to do the same things simply
because an inflexible justice forces you to do
them?
To my neighbor I should like to mean a
friend and not a critic. To the mourner I
ehould like to mean a comfort, never one
who would wield "the busy hand of consolation that frets the wound it cannot heal." To
the sick I ehould like to mean comfort and
hope, and health too if I could.
To the disheartened I ehould like to mean
an inspiration to higher things, for as Mrs.
Sangster says:
"Every day ts a fresh beginning.
Every morn is the world marie new.
Ye who are weary with sorrow and sinning.
Here ib a beautiful thought for you."
A comforting thought for you and a helpful
thought for me. In point of fact to all the
world I should like to mean a human being
"nobly planned to warn, to comfort, to command," or be commanded ae tho case might
be. lt. S. M.
Ipswich, S. D.   	
3rd Premium.—
"I live for thono who love me,
For those whose hearts arc true;
For the Heaven that shines above me,
And the good that I can do."
In each of our lives there Is something that
prompts us to action, something that molds
our lives and ehapee our destinies. Wife,
mother, daughter, Bister, friend and nelghbor-
the responsibilities of my life are presented to
mo in the embodiment of all these attributes.
My home is my realm; to bo its queen and
mistress and to rule and guide in my domain
successfully, and to do my duty under all circumstances, eervee my ambition. There are
many duties to be met in the current of life,
which aid to give it a true and noble tone.
Many trials and disappointments are suro to
follow some of our most earnest efforts.
Motherhood, the moet crowning emblem of
wifehood, holds the sweetest joys and brings
the moet sacred responsibilities of woman's
sphere. There ls nothing more pathetic than
helpless childhood. The child is almost
wholly dependent for happiness, justice and
the rule of life, upon the mother's view of
earthly thinge. Her interpretations of God's
loving kindness and tender mercy will have a
great influence on her child's eternal deetiny.
A mother's Influence is not only formative
but all-pervading through life. Her every
euccese will be the expression of her sympathies as well as of her activities. We find In
the most sacred of books, that no man llveth
unto himself; and knowing this how carefully
our lives should ba guarded. A cheerful epirit
hae great power to dispel the sadness of a
troubled heart. Sunshine of the eoul is largely
a matter of cultivation, for there are but few
so fortunate as not to have had eome grief.
Cheerfulness is one of the prime requisites to
success and happiness.
"Whate'er we are, whate'er our place,
God's gifts to us-his gifts of grace—
We may with all the suffering share,
Till faces smile with answered prayer.
' Our very presence virtue hath
For those wiro daily cross our path.
Tf eyes are kind and hearts are true,
We can all blessed good things do.' .
We need not reach our hands afar.
But drop our blessings where we are."
Rockville.     ■ M. B. A.
What I want to show to the people about
me ls the Ideal life that leads to euccese. How
must I obtain this life? I must be myself.
Some people are so foolish ae to think riches
would carry them through. Some may have
an ideal life in view, but Bimply because they
are not climbing ae fast ae eome one clec in
another business, will give up in despair. A
11 tale child has to try many times before making a success in walking. So In our business
life, our first stepe may prove a failure, but by
trying we ehall become victorious. "If at
first you don't sucseed, try try, again." Never
be idle. If your hande find nothing to do at
times, cultivate your mind. If one speaks
evil of me,I must eo live that none will believe
it. I do not expect to awake some morning
and find myself famous, as did some of the
poets, but I think Longfellow shows how moet
lives are built, when he saye:
"The hights by great men reached and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept.
Were toiling upward in the night."
How then must I live so that others may eee
it? I must not be fault-finding with my neighbors, not speaking once before thinking
twice. Ann.
Harrison Oo.    	
REVIEW.
Mr. A. T. V. suggests that one ehould stand
for good  citizenship.   Should  bs ready if
necessary to sacrifice anything for his country. Wo will all gladly accept the statement
ae true. And would gladly add that there are
moro sacrifices to make in times of peace
than of war. The mushroom plant is really
underground. It sends its ramifying roots
ln a perfect network through many feot of
soil, and grows for weeks. Finally It makes
one grand effort at fruiting and by using its
reserve forces it quickly ehoots up its soed
stem. So our successors in any war that may
come three or four times in a century
depends on the previous eound growth
whieh has been accumulating for years.
Ho also says that the foundation for all true
living lies ln Christian character. What a
world we ehould enjoy if the Christ spirit prevailed. Mr. A. T. V. aleo thinks we should
•'etand for arbitration and fairness." Surely.
Mr. Conway says " 'tis true, too eadly true,
that many pass through life without a purpose." Now let ue stop a moment and all
raiee the right hand who have and are trying
to live to a purpoee. One, two, three—I eee
many hande thank God, and there are very
many earnest hearts and fruitful lives. I personally believe that the Christ epirit Is filling
and directing vastly more people than in any
other age. There is more money and sacrifice being well directed against potent public
and individual ein to-day than the world has
ever known before. There is less time and
energy given to fruitless contention over dogmatic beliefs, and with one the "burden of
the white man" le turned in the way of taking a decided etand for the uplifting of a
common humanity.
Yet amid all this sympathy and self-sacrifice it ls true as Mr. 0. says that "there aro
many who live a ■depraved life."
One unique expression of Mrs. Miller is that
"it ie a blessed thing to be needed." Are
there not some peoplo who are never called
upon even to nurse tho sick? Or for anything?   What do they etand for?
One writer eaye "it will not do to simply do
no harm." Negative virtues never set the
world afire. Mrs. Miller also epoke of "divinity incrueted." This reminds mo of a
schoolmate who spoke yeeterday of eome people whose divinity wae encysted," Of course
both mean that the Divine in such, people ie
so covered by the carnal that it Is not eaeily
stirred, and does not influence the rest of his
manhood. Two writers would give to the
sick as far as possible three things, comfort,
hope, health. All can give the first, often the
second and third.
More than onesaye, "woman's greatest work
is to so live that ehe may carry eunehine."
Finally as you ride through your streets, or
mingle with the people, do you stand for tem-
erance, for purity, for cleanness, a clean
mouth, a strong, noble heart and life?
No. 158, Mch. 18.—How do you treat oate
for black smut?   With what success?
No. 15!), Mch. 25.—How can we best prevent
carrying mud and eand into the house? What
should we make walks of, and how?
No. ICO, April 1.—What Is the fault of a
seedbed that needs plowing deep the first cultivation.   Give the remedy.
No. 101. April 8.—Give ue the story of
your grape vines. What building may they
climb? How do you grow them on buildings
and on trellises?
No. 162, April 15.—Let us talk fences again.
What kind are you building and coat? Kind
of poets, eteeplee and coet? Do you like ratchets or wire fences?.
No. 1G3, April 22.—Give criticisms on
this department. Also state how writers may
Improve and shorten   copy.
No. 1G4, April 29. How do you treat eowe
from drying off to calving? How avoid milk
fever?
Premiume of $1 75 cents and 50 cents will be
given to 1st, 2d and 3d beet articles each week.
Let copy be as practicable ae possible and forwarded 10 daye before publication to
Lafayette. E. H. Collins.