Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-03-12
TIMELY TOPICS.

On recent Sabbath, Henry Ward Beecher
| occupied some fifteen or twenty minutes IN
reading and commenting on long string of
church notices, and remarked, with sly spice
of humor, that he had thought of omit
ting the sermon altogether and devoting the
hour to reading notices. 1t may well be be-
| lieved that some of the notices read in Mr..
Beecher's pulpit, as well as other pulpits, are
| no less secular than some of the samples given
above from Mr. Coughs book.
No subtler habit of evil lie there in the world
than that of self-pity. The victim of this
form of selfshness is always surveying the
dark side of things. If we choose, we can cul-
tivate in ourselves and in our children the sun
ny nature, as well as that which is ever be-
moaning itself and comparing it's lotwith that
of others. It would be well for each of us
every day, when trials press, to say: ''But, af-
ter all, how much pleasure there is here, how
much delight there is'yonder, and what a gar
den of glory is this beautiful world! Let me
at least try to be as happy as can
BISHOP TAYLOR remarks: prayer is the key
to open the day, and the bolt to shut in the
night. But as the clouds drop the early dew
upon the grass, yet it would not spring and
grow green by hat constant and double falling
of the dew unless some great shower at certain
seasons did supply the rest-so the customary
devotion of prayer twice a day is the falling
of the early and the latter dew; but if you will
increase and flourish in works OF grace, empty
the great clouds sometimes and let them fall
in great shower of prayer. Choose out sea-
sons when prayer shall overflow, like Jordan,
in time of harvest
THE man who doubts, honestly, is very
different man from the one who processes to
doubt, as pretext tor immoral actions. The
genuine doubter would much rather believe
than doubt, the pretended one would much
rather doubt than believe. The genuine
doubter feels all the sorrow of an uncertainty
which he cannot conquer. The pretended
doubter seeks the uncertainty as relief from
the horrible certainty, which be dislikes to
contempl plate Though the true doubter may
be in the wrong, he would always prefer to be
in the right. It is truth that he seeks. The
pretender is not thoughtful, and takes no time
to examine the foundation upon which beliefs
or disbeliefs rest.
AN Oregon paper says: "a very be 9 utiful
phenomenon appeared last evening in the
southern heavens, at Portland, Oregon, about
ten O'Clock. A white and flmy substance not
unlike smoke shaped itself into the form OF q
rainbow, extending from east to west. 1t was
a number of degrees south of the zenith, broad
and well defined. When first seen the belt ex-
tended from the western horizon to nearly
mid heavens, gradually growing eastward un-
til an unbroken bow-from horizon to hori-
zon-.-was presented to the view. The western
half of the srch was much brighter than the
eastern. The phenomenon lasted about ten
minutes, when it began to fade away, and
soon entirely disappeared. It was perfectly
white, but the part.that was the brighter OBJ
scured the stars. At the time the heavens
were cloudless."
A CONTEMPORARY says: It is e curious fact
that Russia, one of the poorest OF civilized
countries, makes greater parade Of wealth in
one respect than any other state. The domes
of all the great churches in st. Petersburg,
Moscow, and other large towns, are plated
with gold nearly one-quarter of an inch thick.
The new church of the Savior, dedicated and
| opened in Moscow last August, represents
value of fully S15,O0O,000. The Isaac Cathe-
dral in st. Petersburg may be safely credited
| with at least twice that amount. So strong,
| however, is the old Sclav belief in the inviol-
able sanctity of "holy places" that, during
seasons of widespread and bitter distress, no
attempt has ever been made to plumber che
gold thus temptingly exposed. Indeed, one
of the finest churches in st. Petersburg. the
Kazan Cathedral, owes its massive shrine to
voluntary offering of the plumber taken by the
Cossacks in 1912.
New YORK Evangelist: The prophecies OF
Jewish restoration are being fulfilled. New
ideas are working into Palestine. a new city
is going up ON the west side OF Jerusalem,
outside the gates. Along the turnpike to
Jaffa runs the telegraph wire, and on the
plain of Sharon stands the large Jewish agri-
cultural college, surrounded by a model farm
and fine nurseries. The Jews compose about
two-thirds of the population of the holy city.
the most bigoted type, and large number OF
them are dependent on the gifts of Sir Moses
Monteiore and other rich Jews in Europe.
Bethlehem is a thriving town, and carries on
extensive manufactures of mother-of-pearl.
The Bethlehemites brought back from the
Centennial exhibition at Philadelphia, about
seventy thousand dollars as their net profit
from sales Of their beautiful ware. a ride
among enchanting orange groves near Jaffa
furnish one of the finest oriental views to be
witnessed in Judea. The oranges attain their
lucious perfection, and three million year are
produced in this vicinity. Figs, brilliant
pomgrauates, and stately palms line the road.
Looking east, Jaffa rises on its hilltop, and
beside it sparkles the blue Mediterranean.
THERE is an interesting historic fact in con-
nection with the adoption Of the Great Seal
of the United States, on the formation of our
present constitution. The seal, as adopted,
has an 'obverse" and "reverse" view. All
are acquainted with the diverse view, the
spread-eagle with the shield, the one claw
filed with arrows, the other with the olive
branch, the motto in the beak, E pIuribIs
,saum, surmounted by thirteen stars. This