five books of Moses are being terribly mutilated. Jonah and all the other prophets, great and small, are partly slipped or thrown out altogether. No such thing ever known, they positively assert, as a miracle in Old or New Testament times. Christ was not conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, never did work a miracle, did not arise bodily from the tomb, etc. As Mr. Spurgeon said, they have whittled the gospel down until there is “not enough of it left to make soup for a sick grasshopper." While I am urging everybody to read Brother Anderson's book full of the old-time Biblical thought and none of the new, tinctured with infidelity, I also want every investigating mind to read the eight volumes of Prof. John Urguhart, known as the "New Bible Guide." He positively demolishes every argument of the "higher" critics in a plain matter-of-fact way, from a scientific, geographical, geological, chronological, historical and Biblical standpoint. I am not digressing too far I think to recommend this great work of Urguhart's, which has been so helpful to so many honest readers. My concluding words are, don't fail to carefully read this production from the pen of our mutual friend, go to hear him preach, help him in every conceivable way in his labors of love, for no man in the same space of time has traveled more miles, goes into more homes, with his smiles and words of Christian cheer, distributed more good religious books, or preached more gospel sermons than has the Rev. James Gates Anderson.

J. D. LEWIS,

Pastor First Cumberland Presbyterian Church,
Birmingham, Ala.

DOWN HILL AND UP HILL

CHAPTER I.

GOING DOWN HILL.

And men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself. Psalms 49: 19.

SOMEBODY has truthfully said that as far as this world is concerned there is nothing that succeeds like success. The world praises and patronizes the man who succeeds and scorns the man who fails. All men, or nearly all men, will speak well of the man who is successful, and the same man in adversity, like the pig fast between the rails, will be bitten by every hog in the gang. A long time ago there was a newspaper that found its way into the home of the writer of this book. I do not remember the name of the paper or where it was published. I think it came from New York City. It contained an illustrated article headed, "GOING DOWN HILL." I read the article, and was very much impressed with the deep moral that it contained; so much so that we think the world can't well afford to try to get along without it being reproduced. We are like the lady who had a churn of cream, and the mouse got into it. She took the mouse by the tail and stripped off the cream, remarking that the cream was

too valuable to lose. The moral in the newspaper article of forty years ago or more is too good to lose, and we now for the first time will proceed to write it up and bring it before the public.

In a certain city or village there was a man who was a shoemaker by trade, and his wife was a dressmaker. They were an honest, industrious couple, and while in prosperity commanded the respect and patronage of the entire community. But, as it often happens in this world, during the winter months affliction came to the home, and for several months he was unable to work, while expenses in the form of doctors' bills, etc., accumulated. Finally the man recovered from his afflictions and was able to work again.

One morning several gentlemen, royally dressed, wearing plug hats, as though they belonged to either the priest or Levite tribe, happened to meet on the corner of the street, and they stopped for a few minutes' conversation. One of them had a pair of shoes under his arm. He had started to the shoeshop to have them mended. One of the number said, in rather an excited tone,

"Have you all heard the news?"

"No, no," was exclaimed by all in the company. "What is it? Do tell us at once."

"Our shoemaker around here on the corner is going down hill."

"Ah, indeed!"

"I do wonder !"

They discussed the matter with much interest for a few moments, and when ready to separate the one with the shoes under his arm remarked:

"Well, I had started down there to have these shoes mended, but since learning that he is going down hill I will go to the other shop," and they parted, some going in one direction and some in another.

A few minutes later two ladies met, one of them with a dress pattern under her arm. She had started to have the shoemaker's wife make her a dress. They stopped and talked as only women can talk about the shoemaker and wife going down hill. Finally, the one with the dress pattern remarked:

"I had started there to have his wife make up this dress pattern, but if he is going down hill I'll not go there, no, never," and she turned and went to another shop.

The honest shoemaker and his wife sat wondering in sorrow why their former customers did not come. The only sin they had committed was that they had been afflicted, and were going down hill. Bills were presented that they were unable to pay, and they wondered in sorrow as to what they would do.

"Why have our customers all left us?"

While thus wondering as to what they could do an old man of the good Samaritan type came into the shop, and after the usual compliments, said:

"Well, my friend, how is the world using you, anyway?"

"Oh, bad enough," was his reply.

"How much money will it take for you to pay all your debts, and make some additional improvement on your shop, and how long would it be before you could pay it back?"

“Well, with my usual run of customers I could pay

it back in a short time, but my customers have all left me, and what I am to do I cannot tell."

"All right, here is the money," handing it to him. "You take this money and pay all your debts, and make all necessary improvements on your shop, and see if your custom will not return."

The man departed, and the shoemaker hurried out and paid all his debts and brought back a carpenter to make the necessary improvements on his shop, which was neatly done in a short space of time.

The same men who had met a short time before met again and rehearsed the matter over again.

"That shoemaker we thought was going down hill, but he is going up hill now. He has paid all his debts, and just look at the improvement that he is making on his shop. He is sure going up hill now," and the man who went to the other shop because he was going down hill, said he was going back there to have his work done, and they all said they would patronize him and get as many others to as possible.

"Any man who can go up hill after having the affliction he has had ought to be patronized," and each went their way praising the man who was going up hill.

The two ladies met again and the one who had the dress pattern said:

"I am sure going back there from now on to have my work done. They are sure going up hill, and justly deserve the patronage of this whole community."

In a short time the shoeshop and dressmaker's shop