The Newtown bee., 1897-01-15

of the Ladies Aid society, reported that ehe society had raised s226 B during the year.
 Daa Henry Fairchild, the honored sen- for deacon, brought his hearty greetings. He was received with applause.
 Curtis M ,rri,, the librarian elect of the Sunday school, made an interesting re- port. About $70 was spent in improving the library.
 Arthur Smith spoke on sThe church music"
 The exercises of the evening had fit ting close in the admirable address of Rev Mir Barker. Among other things he said sThe story is told that once three young women disputed about their hands, as to whose were the most beau- tiful. Oae of them dipped her hand in the pure stream, another plucked berries till her fingers were pink, and the third gathered fl overs whose fragrance clung to her hands. An old haggard woman, bent and decrepit with age and leaning upon her staff, passed by and asked for some gift, but all the three young women refused her. Another young woman, plain and with no claim to beauty of hand, satisfied her need. The old woma D then said: 1t is not the hand that is
 washed in the brook, nor the hand tinted
 with red, nor the hand gar]anded and
 perfumed with flowers, that is most beau
 tiful, but the hand that gives to the
 poor.' As she spoke her wrinkles were
 gone, her staff was thrown away, and
 she stood there an angel from heaven. It
 is only legend, of course, but it's judg-
 ment is true; the beautiful hands are
 those that minister in Christ's name to
 others. I rejoice, my dear people, that
 under all this good humor and these de.
 lightful pleasantries that we have had
 here his evening it is easy to detect the
 spirit of earnest Christian activity and
 zeal. These reports show good work
 faithfully done, jealous labor freely giv.
 en. We ought to thank God to. night for
 what He has permitted us as church to
 do in this past year; it is a privilege that
 in so large a measure we have been en- abled to be laborers together with Him
 l have New Years wish for you, and
 yet you'll think it strange: I wish that as you pass over the threshold of 1897
 you will bring a graveyard with you Mir Beecher used to say in his quaint anc peculiar way, that every one ought te ] take graveyard with him into every
 new year, that in it he might bury thu
 faults of his friends. That is the only way to secure friends, to search for wha
 in them is noble and true. Faults stans out plain enough. We all have our cor spicuous faults Good knows how tru that is); but our noble qualities of sou
 are often covered up, and are only re vealed to him who carefully looks fo chem. Let us resolve in this new year t. ii nd something in each other that we ca P thoroughly admire and genuinely love his will ever be pleasant task and vii give you 8 succession of glad surprise clear through, as old friends shall dis
 ciose 70 you hidden treaSures you had no } dreamed of before. wish you all bs | py New Year, a year of happiness dee and real and strong, your life as a rive l. calm, undisturbed, fl wing on to lose i,
 elf, at last, in the engulfi 1g ocean ( ' c ,d's love.
 7 It is often said that infideiitv has wri ' ten no songs; no hymn book has eve ' yet been shown which infidel writer have produced. Of course, inf ielit
 writes no songs flor It has nothing to sin '' about. Unbelief has no joy; atheisi never yet uttered single note that 8, u preached the note of j)yful praise. l., us, then, as Christians, rejoicing in tt
 tie that binds our hearts, and, delightin in those truths that form our trust an '' peace, sing this loved hymn:
 "My faith looks up to Thee, LrI Thou Lamb ot Calvary,
 , Saviour divine!"
 . l