The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-22

shorthornS that have brought more than
the price quoted above for the Aber.
deen-1Aslgus, and if the gentleman VIII
allow me to quote sales of 1873, i WIZ
,efer him to New York Mills sale. where
the eighth and tenth Duchesses OF
Geneva sold for. siO,6O0 and $4,000, re-
spectively. MAURICE HALF.
/ Feb. 10Th Cedar Springs, Va
"parable Of the Iron Bedsiead.'
Editor of The Times:
Slr,-Reading some old literature recent,
~, came across g piece .of curious ana
wonderful writing under the above head
thoughtful meditation, think that us
pup,1cation in your paper VIII prove very
interesting, if not, instructive TO your
readers.
In the days of Abecadarian. Popes II
| was decreed that a good Christian JUST
measured three feet and for the peace ana
happiness OF the Church it was Dreamed
that an iron bedstead. with a wheel at one
end and a knife at the other. should be
placed at the threshold of the Churcn, on
which the Christians should all be laid.
This bedstead was just three feet IN me
easement on the eXacteSt French ScaleS;
Every Christian. in those days. was iala
on this bedstead; If less than this stand
ard, the wheel and a rope were applied to
him to stretch him to 1t; II ne was TOO
tall, the knife was applied to his eNtreml-
tians. for nearly a thousand years. all or
one statue. Those to whom the wheel
or the knife was applied, elmer died IN the
preparation or were brought to the say
ing standard
One sturdy fellow, called Martin Luth-
er, was born III those days. who grew to
the enormous height of four feet; ne, OF
course feared the pedstead and the Knife
and kept off at considerable distance,
celebrating how he might escape. AT
length he proclaimed that there was
great mistake committed by his ancestors
in fixing upon three feet as the proper
standard of the stature of a good Chris
tian. He made proselytes TO his opinions;
for many who had been tried on the
three-foot bedStead who were actually
four feet, had found a way of contracting
themselves to the popular standard. These
began to stretch themselves to their nat
ural stature and Luther had, in a few
years, iron bedstead four feet long,
fashioned and fixed in his Churches. with
the usual appendages. The wheel and the
knife soon found something to do in Luth-
ers Church, and it became as rksome to
flesh and blood to be stretched by wheel
and rope to four feet or to be cut down
to that stature as 1t was to be forced up
or down to the good and sacred three
foot stature. Moreover, men grew much
larger after Luther's time than before and
a considerable proportion of them ad-
Nanced above his perfect man: insomuch
that John Valvin found it expedient to or
der his iron bedstead to be made six
inches longer with the usual regulation
appendages. The next generation found
even Calvins measure as unaccomomdat-
ing as LutherS. and the Independents, in
their greater wisdom and humanity, fixed
their perfect Christian at the enormous
time began to think of constructing. an
iron toedstead to be in fashion with their
neishbors but kindly made it six inches
dispensed with the knife, thinking that
there was likely to be more need for two
wheels than one knife. which they &C
was always found, that in the same pro-
portion as the standard was heightened,
Chrlst1ans grew, and now the bedstead is
actually roved to be at least six INCHES
too short. 1t is now expected that
six inches will be humaney added but
l>this will only be following up evil pre-
| cedent; for. experience has proved that
as soon as the iron bedstead is heightened
the people will grow apace and it will be
found too short even when extended to
siN feet Why not; then, dispense with
Church and allow Christians Of every
stature. to meet at the same t1reside and
eat at the same table? The parable is just
and the Interpretation thereof easy and
sure.
Every attempt at reformation since the
| rude but masculine efforts of Luther has
! been based upon the same principles. He
did not like the Popish superstructure,
! notwithstanding he built upon the same
| foundations. So did all his successors.
They all divided the New Testament into
the essentials and the title of the other
! was the non-essentials, the one party the
one chapter and in another party the
other, is much. the larger. Still the
| ever disproportioned they may be. Many
| efforts have been made to reduce the
chapter OF Essentials into narrower limits.
but as Is it is reduced, the other is enlarged
| and the old division is kept up. The book
| called the Greed, contains all the essen
tials, and as they are there correctly ar
ranged and soundly digtsted. this book
is mores the subject of controversy than
the New Testament which has the essen
| tails and the non-essentials all jumbled
together.
es should agree to throw aside the iron
| bedstead and take the Book in one chap
ter and call it their Creed and Book Of
tanE at then? on says Puri
palians, etc. do this" Stop, my friend
not one OF them dare trust themselves
creeds and disciplines to keep them from
/ sinking, What then, if an experiment
/ should be made and a fair trial OF the
adequacy Of the Divine Book should be
promised end, let any other device be
tried. But among all the experiments of
TINS age and country it is nowhere record
| ed that such a trial has been made and
| fa!ied. L am aware of all that can be
said on the other side. and still assert
| That no such experiment and result are
| on record. And moreover. I do not think
| it is likely that it shah ever be proved by
/ actual experiment that the New Testa-
ment without n creed is insufficient to
| preserve the unity. peace and purity of
| any one congregation or of those of any
! given district. But above all. let us have
no more iron bedsteads with or without
! wheels or knives"
Military Notes.
According to a table prepared by Ad-