Anonymous

SHORT ARROWS Notes of Christian Life and Work. "The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple." I

I n response to the request of many of our readers, we give the following account of this great picture, a special reproduction of which (in colours and suitable for framing) was presented with our November number. With the idea of the picture in his mind, Mr. Holman Hunt went, in 1854, to Jerusalem to obtain local colour and models for the work. "Truth to Nature" being the principle of his art, he desired to get as near as possible to the probable aspect of the scene he was attempting to depict. The Temple he had to construct for himself, and this he did after studying Eastern, and especially ancient Jewish, architecture, the only part painted from an actual fact being the marble pavement. This he copied from the floor of the Mosque of Omar, which, according to tradition, is the only remaining portion of Herod's Temple. He experienced great difficulty in getting models for his figures, owing to the suspicion having arisen that he was a Christian missionary in disguise. By the end of eighteen months, however, he had painted in all the adult figures from actual models, and, returning to England, he managed, by the help of Mr. Mocatta, to get a boy from the Jewish community in the East-End of London to sit for the figure of Christ. Every detail of the picture has a symbolic interest. The rabbi on the left, clasping in his arms the Torah or sacred roll of the Law, is blind and decrepit, and the other rabbis, with their phylacteries and scrolls, are all characteristic of the proud, self-righteous, sects to which they belonged. Joseph carries his own and Mary's shoes over his shoulders—even in their haste they had remembered the injunction to remove them when entering the house of the Lord—and Mary is clad in robes of grey and white, with a girdle fringed with orange-red, the colours of purity and sorrow. Christ wears a kaftan, striped with purple and blue, the colours of the royal house of David. He is pulling the buckle of the belt tighter—"girding up His loins"—and in spite of the "Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" has one foot advanced in readiness to go with His earthly parents. Through the doorway the builders are still at work; they are hoisting into position the block which is to be "the chief corner-stone of the building."

Blind Peter and his Bride.

In spite of his blindness, Peter was a very happy man. A young girl, brought up in the American Presbyterian School in Pekin, emphatically declared that he was the best, the cleverest, and the best-looking of six candidates for her hand. She enjoyed the unheard-of privilege of choosing her husband, and, as her relations approved the selection, settlements were at once arranged. Her hair was cut in a fringe, which in China marks an engaged maiden; the contract was drawn up on a sheet of lucky scarlet paper, and Peter undertook to make a regular allowance to his mother-in-law. Neither the bride nor Peter's relations ever had occasion to regret their decision. He was one of the earliest pupils in the School for the Blind established in Pekin in 1879. As a boy of twelve years old, he was led to the door by his brother aged fourteen. They were orphans, and on their first begging tour, and the elder said that he could support himself by work, but could not gain sufficient food for two without begging. The blind boy was admitted, and he quickly gained a high character. Within two years he was the ablest and best teacher of the blind in Pekin, and he had knowledge and influence which might be the means of bringing light and understanding to untold numbers groping in darkness of mind and body. It is calculated that the blind in China number at least 500,000, and they have the character of being amongst the most depraved of beggars. Miss Gordon-Cumming tells the story of blind Peter in her new book, "The Inventor of the Numeral Type for China." The Chinese Dictionary contains from 30,000 to 40,000 characters. It is true that to read a book so sublimely simple as the Bible it is sufficient to learn 4,000; but the length of this task deters the majority of people from the attempt. Mr. W. H. Murray found it possible to reduce the distinct tones of Mandarin Chinese (used in four-fifths of the Empire) to 408, and to represent them in numerals, embossed in dots according to Braille's system. Miss Gordon-Cumming devotes several pages to explaining the invention and the means by which it has been carried into good effect. The result is that blind men and women have not only been raised from demoralised beggary, but have become teachers of others afflicted like themselves, and in some cases of the sighted illiterate or deaf and dumb.

A Notable Group.

In the course of our last volume we had occasion to refer several times to the remarkable Sunday-school in Manchester which contains no less than forty-five teachers, all of whom have served for over twenty years as active officers of the school. This discovery was made in connection with our Roll of Honour for Sunday-school Workers, and each of the forty-five was awarded The Quiver medal. These teachers have since associated themselves in a photographic group, the result of which we reproduce on the opposite page. It forms an interesting and unique memento of an interesting and unique school.

A Quiver Hero.

The latest addition to the Roll of Quiver Heroes and Heroines is Captain James Hood, of the London tug Simla, who, on October 17th last, was by his self-sacrificing courage and presence of mind instrumental in saving twelve members of the crew of the Blengfell off Margate. The circumstances attending the conspicuous act of Captain Hood are probably still fresh in the minds of all our readers, and it is only necessary to recall that on the day in question his tug was in attendance on the naphtha ship Blengfell, when the latter vessel was suddenly rent in two by a terrific explosion, which resulted in the sudden death of the captain of the doomed ship, his wife and child, and six other persons. Hood immediately saw that the only way to save the men left on the wreck and those struggling in the sea was to steam right alongside the burning ship, there being no time to lower boats. This he courageously did in the face of several minor explosions, and knowing full well that at any moment the remaining barrels of naphtha might ignite and blow his vessel to pieces. Fortunately he was successful in rescuing the survivors, and was able to steam away in safety from the burning ship. Our readers will undoubtedly endorse our opinion that Captain Hood has nobly earned the Silver Medal of The Quiver Heroes Fund, which it has been our pleasure to hand to him.

Unusual Diffidence.

An able public man known to the writer was asked the other day to speak at a conference upon one of the subjects to be debated. He replied that he could not do so, as he did not know much about the question and had not time to study it in all its bearings. How much shorter and more profitable would speeches and sermons be if those who deliver them were as conscientious as our friend! But "fools rush in where angels fear to tread," and speak loud and long out of the abundance of their ignorance. When a man has only one idea, has seen only one side of a thing, knows only a limited number of words, and is in possession of good lungs, there is no reason why he should ever stop speaking.

Distributing Mansion House Money.

Four great famines in India have marked the reign of Queen Victoria—each more widespread than the last, but each successively occasioning less loss of life. It was in the famine of 1868-69 that Lord Lawrence initiated, as a working principle for the Administration, a sense of personal responsibility for every life lost. In the last, that of 1896-97, the scarcity extended from the Punjab to Cape Comorin, but the skill in checking starvation was greater than in the preceding one of 1877, and the number of sufferers relieved exceeded three millions. Whilst many of India's sons gazed up at the cloudless sky with the calm desperation of fatalists, the Government and missionaries fought side by side to repel hunger and death. England subscribed £550,000 through the Mansion House Relief Fund alone. The scourge fell most heavily on the Central Provinces, and the paternal Government had not only to deal with present necessity, but to provide for the future. Our illustration is copied from a photograph of a scene in Central India. An English Government servant sits at a table covered with money from the Mansion House Fund, and he is granting fifteen rupees to a cultivator for seed rice. A crowd of applicants for similar relief surround him.

For Old and Young.

By a curious coincidence two of the various works which call for notice this month are by present contributors to our own pages, and two are by future contributors. It is unnecessary to deal with the former at length—even if space permitted—and it is sufficient to state that Dr. Joseph Parker's second volume of his series of "Studies in Texts" (Horace Marshall and Son) is as full of pregnant and forceful thoughts as its predecessor; whilst in "Love to the Uttermost" (Morgan and Scott) our old friend, the Rev. F. B. Meyer, has tenderly and reverently expounded the principal incidents and texts contained in the latter portion of the Gospel of the disciple "whom Jesus loved."—From Mr. Elliott Stock comes a small volume of "Addresses to all Sorts and Conditions of Men," which have been delivered at various times and in various places by Archdeacon Madden, who is well known as an earnest and gifted preacher to young men, and we can but hope that these outspoken truths may, in their more permanent form, be the means of much lasting good. We hope shortly to introduce Archdeacon Madden more directly to our readers by means of our own pages, and also Dr. R. F. Horton, who is responsible for "The Commandments of Jesus," which has just reached us from Messrs. Isbister. It should be emphasised at once that the book does not deal with the commandments given to Moses, but with the commandments delivered by our Lord whilst on earth. Dr. Horton claims that a careful study of these will prove that they form "a sufficient, authoritative, and exact rule of life" at the present day, and he has ably upheld and explained what he so happily terms "the eternal code of Jesus."—To turn from theological to lighter works, we are pleased to draw attention to Mr. S. H. Hamer's "Whys and Other Whys" (Cassell and Co.), which would form an admirable present for little people. The author tells a number of humorous stories of "Curious Creatures and their Tales," which will amuse and delight the children, whilst the many quaint and clever illustrations by Mr. Neilson combine to make this one of the best gift-books of the season.—For the little ones and also to "children of a larger growth" we can heartily commend Mrs. Orman Cooper's life of "John Bunyan, the Glorious Dreamer" (Sunday School Union), which is written from an extensive knowledge of the subject (gained principally from many years' residence in Bedford), and is also copiously illustrated.—We have also to acknowledge the receipt of "Rabbi Sanderson" (Hodder and Stoughton) by Ian Maclaren, which forms a companion to his former short story, "A Doctor of the Old School," though we feel it is not so brilliant as the latter; of "Neil Macleod" (same publishers), an interesting and well-written story of literary life in London; and also of "Silver Tongues" (Morgan and Scott), which consists of a series of talks to the young by the Rev. John Mitchell, based on simple objects of common knowledge, such as a leaf, a thimble, flowers, etc., and enriched by many appropriate lessons.

Four Anchors from the Stern.

These anchors, our Revised Version tells us, the sailors "let go" on St. Paul's disastrous voyage towards Rome, "fearing lest haply we should be cast ashore on rocky ground." There is many a reef of rocks which threatens a young man or woman's barque, as it is pushed off across the waters of life's ocean; and, at the close of this century, one such reef is certainly the neglect and desecration of the Sabbath. It is difficult, perhaps undesirable, to lay down minute rules upon a subject concerning the details of which good folks conscientiously differ; but, in days when the social trend is distinctly towards laxity, there are four main principles which must be binding on all who acknowledge the New Testament as the supreme law of life. Little, comparatively, is said there about the observance of the first day of the week, but that little is very helpful and suggestive. (1) Sunday should be a day of joy. It was "with great joy" that the holy women returned from the sepulchre after the resurrection. Let us try and make Sunday bright and happy, especially to children and to the poor. (2) Sunday must be a day of worship. The disciples were wont to meet together to break bread in remembrance of their Master, and (Acts xx. 7) to hear a sermon. (3) Sunday must be a day of generosity and kindness. The apostle specially enjoins that each one should "lay by him in store, as he may prosper." The spirit of this command must forbid selfish entertainments and recreations, which impose extra toil on hard-worked servants. (4) Sunday should be a day of rest, and (to some extent, at least), of holy contemplation. St. John the Divine at Patmos was "in the spirit on the Lord's Day," when he saw the vision of the New Jerusalem. Sundays upon earth are a preparation for "the Sabbaths of Eternity." Neglect and desecration are "rocks ahead." Young men and maidens who fare forth into the world, and are apt to be driven rockward by the powerful and dangerous currents of public opinion, will find that these four stout scriptural anchors will hold their craft secure and fast.

Crowns of Thorns and Crowns of Righteousness.

A man called upon President Lincoln, introduced himself as one of his best friends, and asked for a Government post, then vacant, on the ground that it was solely through the applicant's exertions that he was elected to the Presidency. "Oh, indeed," said Lincoln; "then I now look upon the man who, of all men, has crowned my existence with a crown of thorns. No post for you in my gift, I assure you. I wish you good-morning." Thus it is that, when we obtain them, we care nothing about things that once were objects of our ambition. It will not be so with the never-fading crowns of righteousness that are the rewards of another and happier world.

The Leicester Silver Medallist.

Many of our readers will be pleased to see the accompanying portrait of Miss Anne Harrison, the veteran Sunday-school teacher of Leicestershire, who was recently awarded the Silver Medal and Presentation Bible for the longest known period of service in that county. Fifty-eight years ago Miss Harrison commenced work in the Sunday-school attached to the Baptist Chapel in Harvey Lane, Leicester, and is still to be found at her post Sunday after Sunday, devoting all her energies to the cause which is so near her heart, and which she has so faithfully served for over half a century.

ROLL OF HONOUR FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS.

The Special Silver Medal and Presentation Bible offered for the longest known Sunday-school service in the county of Sussex (for which applications were invited up to November 30th) have been gained by

Mr. Charles Watts,
14, Western Road, Hove,

who has distinguished himself by fifty-one years' service in the county, forty-nine of which were spent in Christ Church Sunday School, Montpelier Road, Brighton.

As already announced, the next territorial county for which claims are invited for the Silver Medal is

WILTSHIRE,

and applications, on the special form, must be received on or before December 31st, 1898. We may add that Durham is the following county selected, the date-limit for claims in that case being January 31st, 1899. This county, in its turn, will be followed by Devonshire, for which the date will be one month later—viz. February 31st, 1899.

Erratum.—Susan Hammond, the Essex County Medallist, was inadvertently described in our November number as Miss Hammond instead of Mrs. Hammond.

THE QUIVER FUNDS.

The following is a list of contributions received from November 1st up to and including November 30th, 1898. Subscriptions received after this date will be acknowledged next month:—

For "The Quiver" Christmas Stocking Fund: Jessie B., Clerkenwell, 2s. 6d.; A School Girl, Stockport, 3s.; A. Newport, Dorchester, 1s.; L. Holland, Crouch End, 2s.; C. D., Bradford-on-Avon, 2s.; A Sunday Scholar, 1s.; M. T., 3s.; E. E., Newmarket, 3s.; B. Burston, Moreland Court, 1s.; A Few Friends at Hazelwood, 5s.; F. S. T., 1s.; R. S., Crouch End, 5s.; E. M. Ellis, Derby, 1s.; Mrs. S., Newport, 5s.; Mrs. J. Cunningham, West Kensington, 5s.; E. Baylis, Woldingham, 10s.; Violet, 2s.; H. D., 10s.; G. S. Andrews, 3s.; A Reader, 2s.; E. R. Boys, Warlingham, 3s.; M. A., Kilburn, 1s.; Sympathy, 1s. 6d.; Mrs. Anderson, 1s.; Anon., Croydon, 2s. 2d.; M., Horsham, 5s.; S. L. G., Camberwell, 5s.; Anon., East Grinstead, 10s.; Anon., Dublin, 1s.; W. Dellar, 1s.; Little Florrie, Brighton, 2s.

For "The Quiver" Waifs' Fund: J. J. E. (132nd donation), 5s.; A Glasgow Mother (102nd donation), 1s.; S. A., Newport, 10s.; A Swansea Mother, 5s.

For Dr. Barnardo's Homes: An Irish Girl, 6s. 6d.; E. E., Newmarket, 2s.

The Editor is always pleased to receive and forward to the institutions concerned the donations of any of his readers who wish to help the movements referred to in the pages of The Quiver. All contributions of one shilling and upwards will be acknowledged.