The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-29
Sunday-SChOOI Lesson for July 80.
Daniel i'm the Dem of Lions.
DAN Vl:1O-23.
BY j. e. GILBERT D. D., Ii. D.,
Secretary of American Society of Religious Education.

CONTENT. The downfall of the Baby
lonian empire and its absorption in the
Medo-Pcrsian empire did not obscure the
prospects of Daniel. Left by Belshazzar
in great honor, az a reward for service,
he was received with special favor Oy
the conqueror. Darius arranged his gov
Crnmcnt in one hundred and twenty
provinces, over which he placed three
presidents with Daniel as first. This act
was highly offensive to the native prime
es, who looked with jealousy upon Jew
who had been a servant of the late dyn-
asty, and they conspired against him. Ills
administration, however. was faultless,
giving no ground for accusation. They
were Therefore compelled to attack him
on religious considerations. They set
trap for him in the matter of prayer
and made the king a party to their
scheme by securing u decree that fed the
kings vanity.
BRAVERY (Verses 10 and 1D.-That
| decree provided that any man who should
| offer petition for thirty days to any
except the king should be cast into the
den of lions. But Daniel was in no wise
| disturbed by this threatening statute. lie
| did not cease his prayer, or diminish
! their number or perform them In secret.
| Fully aware that the writing had been
| signed, he went, as was his custom, into
| his room three times Il day psalm iv: 10,
morning, noon and light, and prayed to
| his God (Acts x: %. This habit had
| doubtless been formed in childhood, us
was the habit of John Quincy Adams.
| He knelt down before the open window
| that looked toward Jerusalem, where
| had been the temple Of Solomon psalm
X: y, toward which in time of trouble
| every pious Jew turned his eyes (Jonah
H. A, according to the conditions imposed
| at the time of dedication q Kings, viii:
| iD. Here Is one of the grandest exhibit
tions of bravery in all the annals of his
| tory.
| MALICE Verses 70 and 13l The op-
| portunity desired by the princes had como.
| They felt that the man against whom
their envy burned was at last within their
| power, and his destruction sure. They
| had witnessed Daniels act of devotion
and they hastoncd to testify against him,
1t was an imposing but malicious COM
pany of officials--governors, princes,
| Counsellors and captains-the dignitaric3 8
| Of the realm who assembled at court
to present charges against the Jew, Il
| repetition of what had occurred in the
time Nebuchadnezzar Dan. iii: s.. They
first recitcd the royal decree which they
had caused to he published, and they sc-
cured from the king, not only a recagni-
! tion, but also an Acknowledgement. as
| they desired, that the laws of the Ncdes
| and Persans were inviolate. Then came
their declaration that Daniel whom they
stigmatizad as of the captivity, had dis
| regarded the decree and the king and
was guilty Of disObedence, disrespect and
disloyalty.
REGRET Vcrses II and 10.--King Da-
riuS was greatly distressed when he saw
AAA>AAAAAAAAAAAA
annually whip the streams and lakes
! of the country have ever seen such
monster, 1t was caught by set lines
in the Columbia river, where men
make a business of securing these
monsters, which appear in the form Of
fish steaks on many an eastern table
and also help to supply the epicure
with his favorite relish, caviare.
The sturgeon fishing industry of the
Columbia is carried on principally in
the fall and winter. When the heavy
| runs of salmon are over and the var
ious canneries on the river have COM
| pleted the seasons pack some of the
| fishermen turn their attention from
that king of western fish to he more
| plebian sturgeon, a variety which has
| little of the beauty and gamey spirit
| of the salmon. The latter Is a SAT-
| water fish, which comes to the streams
tributary to the Pacific only at spawn
ing time, while the sturgeon is found
| in the river at all seasons of the year
AS has been said, the sturgeon grows
to enormous dimensions, but moth
withstanding its size and strength II
| Is of sluggish temperament. The
| weight Of the fish considered fit to ship
| ranges down to thirty pounds.
The appearance of the sturgeon will
not entitle it to a position among the
beauties of the flnny tribde. 1t is dark
in color and has three rows of sharp,
horny scales extending the entire
length of its thick skinned body, prob
ably for protective purposes. The head
is very large, with a toothless mouth
located at the under side in a position
similar to that of the shark. Its habi-
tat is in the mud at the bottom of the
river, where it feeds principally on
refuse matter.
The gear used in catching these
monsters bear little resemblance to the
bent pin and string of the small boy
who would a-fishing go. as a rope q
huge hooks from eight TO ten inches
long and almost as large around as a
lead pencil. are used. Set lines are en-
| plOyed, the hooks in some instances
being baited, but more frequently they
are placed bare in great numbers
across the feeding grounds Of the fish,
so that an unwary movement will bring
a sturgeon in contact with a sharp
barb and in its struggles to tear out a
| first, often six or eight more will be-
come deeply imbedded in it's flesh, and
the fish is held till the lines are taken
up at the appointed time.
The lines are from 200 to 500 feet
long, firmly anchored at both ends, and
are supported by floats, adjusted to
keep them at the proper distance from
the bottom. At every foot hangs a
short line, called a "snOOzle" by the
fisherman, which carries the hook, and
it can thus be readily seen what a
deadly trap is laid for the unsuspect-
ing fish.
The market for sturgeon is i'm the
east, New York consuming large uuan-
titles. Before starting on its long iour-
ney across the continent il is frozen
perfectly solid and hence it arrives in
as good condition as that in which IL
started. The bladder is of use, and the
bone is highly priced by the Chinese,
who employ it in the preparation of a
soup, one of the strange dishes par
ticularly pleasing to the celestial pal
ate, BY the alchemy of commerce
much of the sturgeon appears in mar
ket as smoked halibut.
| mi