HERITAGE "ROOM
BATTLE CREEK, MICH., OCTOBER 17, 1888.
Vol. 36.
JAMES WHITE LIBRARY ANDREWS UNIVERSITY BERRIEN SPRINGS, MICHIGAN
THE TEN LITTLE SONGSTERS.
SEVEN wee birds on the limb of a tree
“ Were singing and swinging as gay as could be; Singing and swinging, flitting and fluttering, Chatting and spatting, twittering, sputtering, All in the best of good nature, of course, Till it seemed as though each little throat would get hoarse.
Now, when the gay frolic was about at its hight, Three strangers appeared, and prepared to alight ;
Three demure little strangers with sorrowful faces.
Who sighed as they satin the pleasantest
places.
“ I am grieved,-’ said the eldest, with a sort of wail
Of distress, and a sad little shake of his tail—
"I am grieved to hear singing, see gladness and mirth.
When there’s sorrow and trouble all over the earth;
When through the wide world there is
hardly a nation
Where some are not dying of thirst or
starvation.”
These words on the seven produced quite a shock.
When up spoke thetiniestbird in theflock “ If people are suffering, and tiinesaresobad.
We should try to make every one cheerful and glad,
Sing more anil sing louder, it appears'to me.
So together! chirrup, chirrup, chir-e-e-e! ”
All joined with a will, and their gladsome singing
Set woods and hills and valleys a-ringing, Till the sound reached afonely old woman in bed.
“After all, life is still worth the living.” -she said,
“While the sun is so bright, and the birdsso gay;”
And their glad music cheered her for many a day.
When thechorus began, the new-comers departed.
■ And they seemed, as before, very sad and downhearted;
But, strange to relate, ere they flew out of sight,
The three were a-singing with all of their might.
— The Christian Union.
For the Instructor.
GLIMPSES OF SWITZERLAND.—NO. 1. the child who has scarcely ever jit been a way from hisearly home, his
township is of considerable consequence, his v county is large, its villages are wonderful, and the dimensions of his State reachthe limits of his comprehension. and he cannot imagine how any spot can be equal to his home.
The idea of the Swiss concerning their country is much the same; their school training even,—their text-books abounding as they do with minute historical and descriptive accounts of the home land, the doings of its heroes and heroines,—being well calculated to inspire and cultivate Swiss patriotism. And although, with their keen appreciation of the grand, beautiful, and good, they, on leaving Switzerland, enjoy and admire the enjoyable and admirable in the scenery and people of other lands, oftentimes their hearts turn back to their own belle Suisse, their schiine Schweiz, with the unsatisfied longings of a homesick child. Nor is one who has visited their
country and become acquainted with its people, much inclined to pronounce them narrow-minded on this account, but rather to think that were they less patriotic, it might well be questioned whether they had a proper appreciation of their rare blessings.
I have often thought it is as though the wonderfully grand mountain scenery, the great lakes and rivers with their falls and cascades, the plateaus, prairies, and valleys of the 3,547,390 square miles
A. VIA MALA.
of the United States were all concentrated within the 15,912 square Ales of this charming tittle country; .for here they art 'in miniature, and one needs not to travel thousands of miles to find all these, nor is he wearied with monotonous views, as he travels in Switzerland. Its forest-clad mountain chain in the west (the Jura), the Lower Alps in the north and east, with range upon range of the ice and snow-crowned Bernese Alps in the south, surround its one plateau of about 1,000 square miles area, extending from the southeast to the southwest through the center, and varying in elevation from 1,100 feet to 6,000 feet above the sea. While in latitude this plateau corresponds with that of the extreme north of the great plateau of the United States, as Minnesota and Dakota, its climate is much milder, corresponding more nearly with that of Colorado and Missouri seven hundred miles farther south. The differ
ence is due principally to the difference in elevation, and proximity of mountains, lakes, and rivers.
It is interesting to notice their classification of elevation, thus: First, Region of the vine. In round numbers, this extends to the hight of 1,800 feet above the sea level. In this region grapes are cultivated upon the sunny slopes of even the highest hills. The oak, beech, fir, and fruit trees flourish here, also wheat and vegetables, and the meadows yield two crops yearly. Second, Region of nuts, between 1.800 and 2,800 feet in elevation. Still two mowings are afforded, but the vine prospers no more. Oats, rye, and barley are grown, but wheat only with difficulty. Third, Region of the beech, from 2,800 to4,000feet. Theoak andsomekinds of fruit-trees are found in the midst of this region. Forests and pasturages abound; rye, oats, and potatoes are still cultivated, but ripen slowly and late in the season. Fourth, Region of the fir, from 4,000 to 6,000 feet elevation. Here only cone trees are found, and there are only two seasons; the summer affordsexcellent pastures,but it is short, aS the winter lasts eight or ninemonths. Fifth,regionofpastures, between 6,000 and 8,200 feet elevation. During five or six weeks in the midst of t heshortsummer, good pastures invite flocks of hungry goats up the mountain sides. Aside from grass, nothing grows hereexcept la rose des Al'pes, or rhododendron.* Sixth,Region of perpetual ice and snow of the high Alps, at an elevation of 8,200 to 14,300 feet.
Here I find myself wishingit possible to give such a word picture as would con vey to others something of thesame impressions made upon my own mind while gazing upon the lovely, the grand, and the awe-inspiring views I have seen in these different regions. Some of them are ineffacably engraved, and hung away in memory’s chambers, and I enjoy looking them over occasionally. 1 will give as best I can in English an excellent description by Toeppfer, of a wild and romantic spot in the south of Switzerland, away up in the fifth of these regions, a section of which appears in the illustration, the gorge of,—
LA VIA MALA.
Beyond Affdeer opens the famous defile of La Via Mala. It is difficult to
give an idea of the horrors and beauties of the place. It is compost'd of two gorges, or rather, two deep fissures, at the bottom of which roars the Rhine, and between which there is a little grassy valley, fresh and green, placed there asif to give to the traveler the mostvivid impressions of thecontrast. In this fissure, the route winds about, here crowded against the rocky wall, there crossing a shadowy abyss, thelo west depths of which escape the eye, and from which, in places, the noise of the river, foaming and dashing among the rocks, never reaches the ear. Majestic trees shoot up from every spot where there is a little soil, and the gorge is so narrow that their interlacing branches form an archway through which but a pale reflection of light enters. A little farther on, there is but the glimmer of
Concerning this, Tschudi, a German writer, says:— “Charming flower which upon the mountain blows, Uniting myrtle green to the carmine of the rose,”
202	THE YOUTH’S INSTRUCTOR.	Vol. 36, No. 4'2.		
a subterranean passage, and the silence is succeeded by the infernal din of the bounding and rushingof the invisible waters, tearing through the caverns and over the rocks below. It seems as if one is thousands of miles from the haunts of men, and he cannot rid himself of an inward horror. On leaving the second part of the gorge, the traveler passes at the foot of a wall of rocks, above which he sees the chateau of Barenburg (castle of the bears). Just beyond this spot opens a green and fertile valley, and the changers sudden from Tartaurus to the Elysian Fields. Some additional points I quote from Ebel. This long gorge (9 kilom, or about six miles), extending between Mts. Beverin and Mutterhorn, is oneofthemost remarkable and frightful in Switzerland. The overhanging walls are covered with firs, which add to the horror and obscurity. The highway, cut as a cornice in the rock, is about a yard wide and from 185 feet to 370 feet above the river. . . . Soon after entering the gorge, the route passes through a rock; and a few hundred feet farther on, a second bridge, no less hazardous than the first, conducts the traveler to the left bank again. This bridge of one single arch is 37 feet long, spanning a chasm 460 feet deep. A little way from here is a fall of the Rhine, where there is a very beautiful rainbow when the sun shines. Half an hour later, one crosses a third bridge, to the right bank of the river, and soon after enters a smiling valley at the end of the gorge. To the west of this is another of Switzerland’s noted defiles, la gorge du Trient, in the valley of the Rhone. Some of its remarkable features, however, are quite in contrast to those of Via Mala. Its winding route is down so near the river that in June and July the cold, clay be-clouded Rhone, swelled to a mad torrent by the melting snows of the lower spurs of the Alps, seems to threaten to engulf the traveler as he crosses the frail-looking wooden bridges from side to side. The rocky walls, too, are nearly bare, and frequently there are such combinations of crevices and projections in the sculpturing astopresentfrom a little distance the appearance of faces; of grey-bearded old fathers, smiling down upon the puny mites of humanity come to spy out their eternal abodes, or of grim monsters, peering suspiciously from dark corners. But we must not linger longer now among these fascinating scenes.	Addie S. Bowen. THE AXE AND THE WEDGE. A BOY sat in the corner of a deserted school-room, apparently poring over a book. Through the open window came cheery shouts of laughter from the play-ground. Presently the master walked into the room—a kind man loved by all the boys, but also wise and firm. “Still studying, Will?” he said, as he passed by. “The boy started and looked away, but not before Mr. Owen had noted the mist of tears that effectually blotted out the printed page. Laying his hand gently on the boy’s head, he said,— “Run out awhile, my boy, and you will feel better after; you are tired now.” “Oh! it is not that, Mr. Owen; but I’m afraid I must give it all up. What Harry says is perfectly true. I have no talent; it is merely by constant grinding that I manage to keep up with him, and yet he never appears to study.” “Notwithstanding your want of ‘talent,’ as Harry calls it, he may possibly find himself in the background one of these days. Perseverance is worth much more than so-called talent without it. It is simply the old story of the blunt wedge and sharp axe. I must tell it to you:— “A wedge and an axe lay side by side in a box of tools. “‘Of what use are you, I should like to know?’ said the axe sharply to Jhe wedge. ‘A blunt thing like you! Why, you could not cut even the smallest branch. The master likes to use me. Just look at my edge; did you ever see anything so keen ami bright? I come down with a crash, and everything is scattered right and left. Ah! I am sharp! ’ “‘I am a poor, dull thing, I know,’ said the wedge, humbly. “Just then the master opened the box and ended the conversation. “ As he took out the axe, it gave a last triumphant gleam at the modest wedge. It was a large block of wood on which the axe came down, and, in spite of its boasting, it made little impression. Much to its disgust it was thrown aside, and the master took up the despised wedge, inserted it in the slit, brought a few hard blows to bear on it, and—crash!—the block was in two. “‘Ah, ah!’ said the master, ‘a blunt wedge will sometimes do what a sharp axe will not.’	“ That is the story, Will. Call the blunt wedge perseverance, and go on using it, even though the sharp axe should say a few cutting words.” The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.—Selected. “KEEP THYSELF PURE.” g>ARS of mine, hear not What should be forgot; Ne’er listen to the jest or song Which could defile an angel’s tongue; Oh, ears of mine, now flee * From all impurity. Eyes of mine, see not What should be forgot; Look ne’er on evil, lest the stain Upon my spirit should remain; Oh, eyes of mine, now flee From all impurity. Hands of mine, touch not What should be forgot; Hold back from every secret sin. Remember Him who looks within; Oh, hands of mine, now flee From all impurity. Lips of mine, speak not What should be forgot; Keep the tongue clean for Jesus’ praise, For words of gentleness and grace; Oh, lips of mine, now flee From all impurity. Heart of mine, think not What should be forgot; For thoughts unholy lead to sin; Harbor no filthiness within; Oh, heart of mine, now flee From all impurity. —Mrs. H. E. Brown. For the Instructor. A LETTER FROM HONOLULU. Pleasant for situation are the Hawaiian, or Sandwich Islands, situated as they are in a tropical belt. We arrived here from Ainericaon the bark “Sonoma” the middle of June, and have found the climate as nearly perfect as it could well be on this sin-cursed earth. The weather is never very hot or very cold, the thermometer varying not more than fifteen or twenty degrees during the year. Last year the greatest heat in August at 2 p. m. was 84.58, while the lowest point reached at the same hour of the day wap 75.36 in February. The islands of this group are twelve in number, four of which are but barren rock, while of the remaining eight, only four are of much importance. This group forms an independent kingdom, the present ruler, King Kalakana, being a native of the islands. The Sandwich Islands were discovered by Gaetano about 1542. They were rediscovered in 1778 by Captain Cook, the great navigator, who met a most unfortunate death in this locality in February of the following year. The superstitious natives, encouraged by Captain Cook, had come to believe him a god, and he was the more willing that they should hold to this opinion, since it gave him a powerful influence over them; and for a time he wickedly allowed them to worship him. Once when he,had started to leave the islands, a severe storm damaged his vessel, and he was obliged to return to make repairs. Reentered one of the consecrated mud temples to perform the work, whereupon the natives began to doubt his divinity; for a god, they thought, should know better than so to pollute a temple dedicated to him. To test his claims, they struck a spear into his back; and when he cried with pain, they exclaimed, “See! this is no god; he cries like one of us!” Then the natives, angry at the deception, fell upon him and killed him. At that time, and for many years afterwards, these were ruled by different chiefs, each island constituting a separate kingdom. Finally a powerful chief came from the largest island, Hawaii, tfe Oahu, with a great many warriors, and taking tte people of Oahu by surprise, drove them like a flock of sheep up a great gorge between two high mountains. This gorge grows gradually narrower and narrower till it terminates at the top of a fearful precipice, with the steep mountains close on either side. There was no possible way of escape, and forty thousand of the Oahuians were crowded off the precipice, only to be dashed to pieces on the rocks a thousand feet below. Two days ago, I visited the place, and with feelings difficult to describe, I looked down from the giddy hight upon the rocks where so many met a. fearful death. Up the gorge where the men, women, and children were driven, a wagon road has been constructed to the precipice. It has become a place of public re-	sort, and none who visit Honolulu to remain for a few days think of leaving without seeing this historic locality. Ever since this battle, the islands have been consolidated into one kingdom. The first palace was built on the battle-field soon after the conflict, and nothing now remains of it save the stone walls. The present palace is a more imposing structure, and stands four miles from the ancient site. In 1823, these islands had a population of 142,-050. This number was so reduced by war and pestilence, that in 1872 there were only 56,987 people in the kingdom. The population at the present time numbers 80,578, while the natives number only 40,-014. They, like the American Indians, are fast disappearing; but this decrease is due largely to their immoral and intemperate habits. In some respects, the white people who have come to the islands have been a benefit to these simple-minded natives. They have brought to them a knowledge of the Christian religion, and have helped them in the establishment of schools; and all this tends toward civilization. But with these blessings, so many evils and vices have been introduced that it is quite evident the condition of the natives is, on the whole, worse than before the white man came. The natives are naturally inclined to be religious; and had they been taught the pure religion of Christ, without the introduction of crime and vice, they would have become noble specimens of humanity. But they are easily influenced, .and unable to withstand temptation. The largest church building in Honolulu was built by the natives, and services are held here every week in the native, or Hanaka, language. The church will seat 8,000 people. It is built of stone, and all t he material was carried quite long distances on the strong shoulders of the natives. They seem to have 'great faith in prayer. When any one in a community becomes so troublesome that the people consider it would be beneficial to dispose of him, they decide to pray him to death. The victim is accordingly notified, and relinquishes all hope of living. He straightens up his worldly business, goes to bed, gets sick at once, and actually dies in a short time. This shows the powerful effect the mind has upon the body. They do not seem to fear death, and being fond of display, sometimes decideTo die just for the sake of having a funeral. The person so deciding, lies down, refuses to eat, gets sick, and soon dies. They think it a great honor to be the chief object of attraction, and to bo followed by so many people; and so they will sacrifice their own lives for the sake of being conspicuous for a short time.	A. J. Cudney. 	» WITH GOD EACH MORNING. A traveler visiting at Aix^a-Chapelle noticed one morning a number of boys and girls on their way to school. On their backs were their book knapsacks, secured after the German fashion. They were young soldiers in the great school army, moving forward to attack and carry such formidable hights as arithmetic, grammar, geography. The traveler noticed that these warriors of peace entered a roomy church. He followed them into the house of God; and was it hushed and silent?—No. A great throng of children had gathered there. Hundreds were present. On one side of the church were boys, and on the other were girls. They knelt, and their voices were blended in devout prayer. Then, birdlike, they warbled together a cheerful hymn. No teacher seemed to be there to oversee them, no clergyman to guide them in worship. It seemed to be a voluntary act of child worship, not on any special day, but as a. fitting preface of their daily tasks. Was it any wonder that the visitor was deeply impressed by this scene? How many of our young people are particular to begin each day with a look into God’s word and then a look in prayer up to God himself? The schoolworld has its temptations; prayer fights them down. It has its duties; prayer helps us climb those steps of obligation. You need not visit a church each morning to prepare yourself, but you should withdraw to the stillness of some chamber of devotion, and there, alone with God, begin the day.—S. S. Classmate. I DO N’T SEE THE USE OF IT. No, of course not. Why should you see the use of it? Do the school children see the use of all they are set to do? Do the grown-ups see the use of half of their cares and trials? The point is, whether you are willing to do your alloted duty and let some one else see the “use.” If you are, you are submitting to the discipline that will lead to generalship some day.
October 17, 1888.
THE YOUTH’S INSTRUCTOR.
203

FIRST SABBATH IN NOVEMBER.
NOVEMBER 3.
SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER.
LESSON 2.—2 PETER 1:5-7.
1.	What is done for us through the great promises of God ! 2 Peter 1:4.
2.	Because of this, what are we to do ? Verses 5-7.
( 3. What is the foundation of all graces I Verse 5.
4.	What is the first thing that faith accomplishes for us l Rom. 5:1.
5.	Being justified by faith, what do we become ? Gal. 3:26.
6.	Having become children of God, may we settle down in self-satisfaction ? Eph. 5:1.
7.	What must we do ? Verse 2.
8.	Whose example are we to follow ? Verse 2; 1 John 2: 6; 1 Peter 2: 21.
9.	Could we without faith do the things that God requires ? Heb. 11:6; Rom. 14: 23, last part.
10.	Having been justified, how alone can we remain in that state ? Hab. 2:4.
11.	What does the true faith always do? Gal. 5:6, last clause.
12.	How alone can faith be shown to be perfect ? James 2:21, 22.
13.	What is said of a faith from which no works proceed ? James 2:17, 26.
14.	What is to be added to faith ?
15.	And what to virtue ?
16.	What knowledge must be added ? Col. 1: 9, 10.
17.	What is the nature of this knowledge ? James 3:17.
18.	What will be the result if we do not obtain this knowledge ? Hosea 4: 6, first clause.
19.	What must be added to knowledge ?
20.	In what respect must we be temperate ? 1 Cor. 9: 25.
21.	What is the meaning of temperance? Ans.—Mastery of self; self-control. See 1 Cor. 9: 27.
22.	Does religion have anything to do with one’s eat-___________log and drinking.? 1 Cor. 10: 31.
23.	If a man eats and drinks simply for the gratification of his appetite, what does he worship ? Phil. 3:18, 19.
24.	What great commandment does he break ? Ex. 20: 3; Matt. 22:37, 38.
25.	How are we to glorify God ? 1 Cor. 6:20.
26.	What will be the fate of those who give themselves up to indulgence in appetite ? Luke 21: 34. See also Phil. 3:18. 19.
.	( NOTES.
“And beside this giv'ng all diligence, add to your faith.” etc. A literal rendering of the words translated “and beside this,” would be, “ and for this cause,” which is equivalent to “ wherefore.” The reference may be to the divine power that hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, or to the exceeding great and precious promises, or to the divine nature of which we are made partakers-Because of this power, because we are sons of God, we should use all diligence to add the Christian graces.
The idea of the apostle is not that any one grace cannot be obtained until the one preceding it has been perfected, as, for instance, that we cannot have any godliness until we are perfect in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, and patience; for all these things are a part of godliness. But he means that we should possess them all and daily add to each. It may, however, be observed that there seems to be a definite relation, in point of order, especially between temperance and patience; for it is utterly impossible for an intemperate man to be a patient man. Indeed, temperance is, in a sense, patience;'' for temperance is self-control, and pstience is the controlling of one’s self under trying circumstances. All the graces are, in fact, interwoven, but faith is the foundation of all. It must precede every other good thing.
On the word “virtue” Dr Barnes says:—
“ The word here rendered virtue is the same which is used in verse 3. . . . All the things which the apostle specifies, unless knowledge be an exception, are virtues in the sense in which that word is commonly used, and it can hardly be supposed that the apostle here meant to use a general term which would include all of the others. The probability is, therefore, that by the word here he has reference to the common meaning of the Greek word, as referring to manliness, courage, vigor, energy; and the sense is that he wished them to evince whatever firmness or courage might be necessary in maintaining the principles of their religion, and in enduring the trials to which their faith might be subjected. True virtue is not a tame and passive thing.
It requires great energy and boldness; for its very essence is firmness, manliness^and independence.”
By a comparison of Phil. 3: 19 and Ex. 20:3, we learn that intemperance is a violation of the first commandment. But one who violates the first commandment is an idolater. Therefore it is utterly impossible that an intemperate man should be a Christian. A man who is given to surfeiting has his mind so beclouded that he cannot appreciate divine things, or if he dimly realizes them, he is unable to give them his full attention, and so the great day of God comes and finds him unprepared.
RAILROADS IN CHINA.
The Emperor of China, Kuang Hsii, who is now seventeen years old, has a train of cars of his own, as well as a special railway to run them upon. The cars have been made for him in France, and were lately taken to Shanghai by steamer from Marseilles, addressed to Li-Hung-Chang, Viceroy of Pechili, the province in which Pekin is situated. The train was constructed at Lyons. It consists of six cars, three of which are for the use of the Emperor and his mandarins, two for the guards, and one for baggage. These cars are made to run upon a railroad less than five miles long, which has been built by French engineers, in the neighborhood of Pekin, in order to give the Chinese Emperor an idea of railways, and to induce him, if possible, to favor their introduction into China. The exterior of the first car, containing the Imperial saloon, is painted blue, with trimmings Qf gilt. Four panels, copied from Chinese tapestries, represent the five-clawed dragon of the Emperor, which is also reproduced in gilded bronze upon the two doors. Two other panels bear the arms of the City of Lyons. The steps and the metal of the platforms are of nickeled steel. The next two cars are painted red with a trimming of gilt, and each bears the Imperial dragon. The interior decorations and furnishings of all the cars are magnificent, those of the first in particular, and a great deal of attention has been paid, it is said, to making them at once Chinese and artistic.
It is to be hoped that the Emperor of China will like his train, and that it will lead to a much more general introduction of railways into China. There are now ncTTHiiroads hi operation in that country. One was built by the English, some time since, between Shanghai and Wusung, a distance of nine miles, but after it had been in successful operation for six months, the Chinese authorities bought up and destroyed it. The Chinese people were fond of riding on it, and it is believed that the authorities regarded it as a dangerous innovation, likely to make the Chinese people take to Western ways.
As it is, the highways and interior water-ways of China are in a wretched condition, and do not betoken a civilized country. The country is intersected by two thousand I imperial highways, which were once magnificent roads, Sometimes ?ven tunneled through the mountains; biit they ate film almost ever, where out of repair. The Grand Canal, too, upon which Pekin largely depends for its supplies, is in such a ruinous state that boats cannot pass through, and have to be taken out and dragged around the obstructions, the freight being unshipped and reshipped further on.
The,plans have already been prepared by English engineers for main railway line's from Tientsin to Pekin, from Shanghai to Foo-cnoq and Hangchew-fu, and from Canton to Nanking; and abundant capital, English, French, and American, will be ready when the government gives authorization to build. These railways, if permitted, will no doubt do more to change the country than- anything else has ever done.—Companion.
A MONSTER TREASURE VAULT.
Uncle Sam deals in such colossal sums of money that monster vaults have to be constructed to hold them. For instance, there is one at Washington that holds a hundred million dollars. It is described by an eye-witness as follows:—
“Descending into the d pths*>f mh passive foundations of the Treasury, a iJbut tJiirt^ feet below the surface of the public thoroughfares outside, and crossing adingy, dimly-lighted, bare apartment, a great square of steel, standing partly open in a steel casement, suggests the entrance to t he new vault. The door, about eight feet high and six feet wide, is six inches thick, and weighs five thousand pounds, or two and one-half net tons. To move it on its tracks into its steel casing, requires the desperate exertions of five men. A mechanical device is now being constructed to lessen the demand for this amount of muscle in handling the ponderous portal. A lock one foot in diameter, resembling the highly-polished bottom of a dish-pan, and operated through a combination of the most delicate and intricate mechanical appliances by means of a key, throws the powerful bolts into the slots in the frame, and a time-lock holds them there against anything short of blowing up the building from the foundation until the hour fixed forthe morning rounds of the official custodian of the vaults.
“Passing through the jaws of this monster of human contrivance against burglarious attempts, the chill, damp air and inky darkness suggest the strength and isolation of this vast treasure-box. It is 85 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 12 feet high, surrounded by massive walls of masonry and brick five feet thick. In the dim light of a candle, the weird lattice-work of interlacing bars of steel, which form the sixteen cells, each ten by twenty feet, may be vaguely seen. Around the inner cage leads a narrow corridor, where the custodian of the vault may make hisrounds of inspection. Upon a transverse central corridor the cells open. Each door is fitted with an ingenious device for fastening, which will not catch until the door is entirely shut, and the key removed.
“Each of these cells will hold six and a half million dollars, or two hundred tons of silver dollars, or a grand total of 3.500 net tons, equal to $1(10,000,000 silver dollars. If the corridors were used for storage, this aggregate could be increased to $128,000,000.
“Some practical idea of the extent of this treasure may be formed when it is realized that to transport it; would require at least eighteen hundred wagons, which would extend in a continuous line about fifteen miles, or, if loaded on cars, would make a train nearly four miles long! ”
THE FLOWER SPIDER.
The flower spider of Virginia is not a weaver of webs, but a regular sybarite, loving ease and luxury. He selects a flower full of sweetness and beauty for his home. There he nestles among the petals, with his lobster-like legs extended to catch insect intruders. And so cunningly does he arrange his body, that he seems a part of the flower, his delicate shadesof cream and green color completing the deception. His kingdom is constantly invaded by swarming robbers; therefore he neither waits nor exerts himself, for his game comes to his hands, and, with the relish of an epicure, he feasts upon the best. The only exertion he ever makes is to drag the remains of his victim to the top of his castle: and, dropping them to the ground, he gazes complacently down upon his catacomb of winged mummies, then glides back to his retreat, to be rocked to sleep by thesummer winds. Tod indolent to be aggressive, he avoids danger by a slow, backward movement until hidden from view.
Socially, he is selfish and exclusive, abiding alone in his exquisite home, the even tenor of his way never disturbed except by the buzzing of a bee. Then he instantly drops beneath the nectary (that part of a flower containing the honey), wherefrom his keen eyes watch with wondering surprise the oiieral ions of the bee, as he extracts the coveted sweets. When the rich stores of his present dwelling have all been collected by the busy bee, then the spider quickly forsakes his lovely abode, on a single line of web, to one newer and perhaps more beautiful. In this way he migrates from flower to flower until summer and autumn are ended. It is then he works for the first time in his lazy existence, making a winter house, like the cocoon of a silkworm, soft and white as down, wherein he lies safe and warm, until his flower-houses bloom in the spring.
This little spider is the mystery of the fly-trap or eatchfly* classed by botanists with sensitive plants, as it is supposed to close upon insects that enter its cup, whereas it only closes to protect its honey from rain and dew. This flower grows in the open ground in clusters, and it is heavily freighted with honey, the attraction which draws so many flies within its fatal calyx, forthose who enter never come out again. The little honey guard, concealed but watchful, kills them indiscriminately. The fly-trap is among the first of “ the beauteous sisterhood ” to unfold its leaves to the warm rays of the.rising sun. At that time, a close observer can see within its heart, like a small pearl in a setting of garnet, the little death-dealer en joying his morning repose in the most innocent manner imaginable.— Selected.
WASTE OF STEAM IN WHISTLING.
A well-posted railway man says that the obligatory tooting of a locomotive on the New York, New Haven, and Hartford railroad, on an ordinary day’s run,involves a waste of steam requiring the consumption of two hundred and eighty pounds of coal to renew. He estimates the whittling expenses of that particular railway at fiUeen thousand dollars per year. There is a similar waste in the blowing of the whistles of stationary and steamboat engines. It is a matter worth the serious study of pratical railroad men, whether they cannot devise a cheaper noise with which to give notice of approach of trains to stations and grade crossings.—Popular Science News.
The earwig is a harmless, though much abused, little insect. Its name, earwig, or ear wing, comes from a very curious pair of wings, which, when open, look like human ears. It used to be said that the name came from a fancy the insect had of getting into people’s ears. But this is not so. These wings, which are delicate and beautiful, are folded up and packed away in a very small space when not in use. To aid her in folding them, the earwig is provided with a pair of forceps at the end of the tail. This little insect feeds entirely upon the eggs of other insects, which, if they were hatched, would destroy our melons and other fruits.— Well-Spring.
204
THE YOUTH’S INSTRUCTOR.
Vol. 36, No. 42.

For the Instructor.
CATS IN GLOVES.
KITTY, how you love to prink,— As much as any city belle!
You're well aware a bow of pink Sets off your downy, white coat well.
With much complacency and pride
You view your image in the glass;
What if a fluttering bird you spied ? What if a mouse should try to pass ?
Ah, ha! You prick your ears at that, “J’d catch it quick ! ” you seem to say: But let me tell you, Mistress Cat, You’d find ypur ribbon iirthe way
Rumpled and soiled, scratched full of holes;
I fear your pride would have a fall, Especially if, while hunting moles, It swung you from some reed-stall tall.
Some people fail, I have been told, Because their tastes are overnice;
Remember, 'tis a saying old; * • That cats in gloves can catch no mice. Sarah Isadore Miner.
“GREAT I AND LITTLE YOU.”
“1*|OW do you like that little 44 new neighbor of yours?” Jffl asked Herbert Greene’s
older brother Wallace, who had seen the two little boys playing together in the yard.
•‘Oh, you mean Georgie Worthman,” said Herbie. “Why, I don’t know. I like him, and I don’t like him.”
Wallace laughed. “Then you quarrel a little sometimes,” saic he. “Is that it?”
“No, we don’t quarrel,” said Herbie. “I don’t let him know when I’m mad with him.”
“What does he do to malo you mad with him?” asked Wallace.
“Oh, he says things,” said Herbie.
“Such as what?”
“ Well, he looks at my marbles, and says, ‘Is that all you’ve got? I have five times as many as that, — splendid ones, too. They’d knock those all to smash.’ ”
“Ah, I see I ” said Wallace. “It is a clear case of ‘great I and little you.'”
“ W h at do y ou mean by th at ? ’ ’ said Herbie.
“Well, if you don’t find out by Saturday night. I’ll tell you,” said Wallace. This was on Monday.
On Wednesday afternoon
Herbie was out at play, and presently Georgie Worthman came out. Wallace was in his room, reading, with the windows open, and could hear all that was said.
Georgie brought his kite with him, and asked Herbie if he would go to the common with him to fly his kite.
“Oh, yes! if mother is willing,” said Herbie. “But where did you get that kite?—-made it yourself, didn’t you? I’ve got one ever so much bigger than that, with yards and yards of tail, and when we let it out, it goes out of sight quick, now, I tell you! ”	' x
“This isn't the best I can make,” said Georgie; “but if I had a bigger one, I couldn’t pitch it, or hold it after it was up.”
“Pooh! I could hold one that pulled like ten horses,” said Herbie; and he ran in to ask his mother if he could go with Georgie to the common.
His mother was willing if Wallace would go too; and so, after a little good-natured bothering, Wallace took his hat, and Herbie got his kite and twine, and the three boys set off for the common.
Georgie’s kite was pitched first, and went up in fine style. Then Herbie’s went off, and soon passed it, for it had a longer string; land both were far up in the sky.
“There now!” said Herbie, “didn’t I tell you my kite would beat yours all to nothing? I bet there
isn’t another kite in town that will begin to be a match for it! ”
“Howisthis? Howisthis?” sgidWallace. “Seems
tome ‘great land little you’ are around here pretty thick.”
“What do you mean by that?” said both the little boys.
•“Why, when a fellow says that he has got the best marbles, and the best kite, and the swiftest sled, and the handsomest velocipede, and the most knowing dog, anywhere in town, we say his talk is all ‘great I and little you.’”
Herbie looked at Georgie, and both blushed a little. The boys had great fun with their kites; and when
they got home, and Wallace and Herbie went upstairs to put away the kite, Herbie said, “Well, my kite did beat Georgie’s, just as I told him it would.”
“That is true,” said Wallace, “but you said the other day that you liked Georgie, and didn’t like him, because he was always telling how much bigger and better his things were than yours; and now, to-day, you are making yourself disagreeable to him by bragging about your kite. Now, if you want the boys to like you, my lad, you must give up talking ‘great I and little you,’ for it is not sensible nor kind.”
So Herbie fdffnd‘-«ut. whaji Wallace meant, and he said to himself, “I don’t mean to let the fellows hear me talking, ‘great I and little you’ any more.”—Our Dumb Animals.
Hattie E. Stutson, writing from Buchanan Co., Iowa, says: “Two years ago there were but few Sabbath-keepers here, and those were Danish people, and but little known by us. In June of 1886, Elds. Porter and Wakeham pitched their tent in Winthrop, a few miles from here, and preached their views, gathering quite a company, which is called the Winthrop S. D. A. church. My parents and eldest brother are members. We have an interesting Sabbath-school, consisting of five classes,—one class of married peo-
pie; one of young people, who study the Instructor; in my class are four girls, aud we study Book No. 2; one class of little boys, who study Book No. 1. My brother Charlie teaches them. There is also a Danish
class. We like our lessons very much; and every Sabbath .we each, old and young, learn averse from the Bible. Next Sabbath and Sunday we expect Eld. Porter and his wife to be with us. We enjoy his visits. We call him our ‘Light Bearer;’ for he gave us light and understanding on so many things we did not see before. They seem so plain and clear now that we wonder we did not see them ourselves. But I believe the reason is that we were not keeping the commandments; for David says, ‘A good understanding have all they that do his commandments.’ Psa. 111:10. I have a dear auntie at the Sanitarium, ami my brot her. I hope some day to see Battle Creek. My father is trying.to sell his farm, and ma has promised when he does, she will send Charlie and me to the Battle Creek College. Charlie would like to fit himself for a canvasser. He is now seventeen years old. I have one sister named Eva, and to-day is our birthday; she is five, and I am thirteen. Pa wants to get his property in shape to do something for the cause. We do not want to be clinging to our farm when Jesus comes. We have a tract and missionary society organized, and they scatter tracts far and near. Some of the members hold Bible Readings in then-neighborhoods. I hope to meet the Instructor family when Jesus comes, and walk with them the streetsof the New Jerusal em. ’ ’
Rachel P. Evrard, of Menominee Co., Mich., writes: “Last fall mamma gave us each a. hen to do missionary work with, and after we had paid our tithes, we got some names from boys and girls, to whom we sent Instructors, Reviews, and tracts. After awhile we wrote to these persons, and they all said they liked what we Bent them very much. The first one who wrote sent me her picture, and others sent me some pretty cards. We have now used up all our miio sionary money. I was twelve years old last November. I have three brothers and three sisters younger than I. My ten-year-old sisteris taller than I am. I have done nearly all mamma’s sewing this winter, and my sister next to me helps me darn the stockings and mittens. My papa is chopping cord-wood. He is an old fisherman, and a good hunter. If you would like to hear something about de£r, I will writeagain and tell you what I know about them.”
Effie Norwood sends a letter from Penobscot Co., Me. She says: “As I have never seen a letter in the Budget from this place, and as I had written once and did not see the letter in print, I thought I would try it again. I am a little girl almost eleven years old, and am a mem-
ber of the S. I). A. Sabbath-
school. All of my class love our teacher dearly; and our pastor everybody likes, even those who do not belong to his church. I have a little brother six years old who attends Sabbath-school with me. I also have a sister four years old, and a baby sister ten months old. We had a very nice camp-meeting. I" did not camp out, but I attended two of the meetings and all of the children’s meetings. I have kept the Sabbath seven months. Papa and mamma do not belong to the church, but they attend some of the meetings. I hope you will pray with me that they may see the truth. I hope to see all the Sabbath-keepers in the new earth.”
We Yewjrg
IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE
S. D. A. PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION,
Battle Creek, Mich.
Mrs. M. J. CHAPMAN,	)
J. EDITORS.
Miss WINNIE E. LOUGHBOROUGH, J
The Instructor is an illustrated, four-page sheet, especially adapted to the use of Sabbath-schools. Terms always in advance.
Single copy, ....	75 cts. a year.
5 copies to one address, -	-	- 60 cts. each,
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Address,	YOUTH’S INSTRUCTOR,
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