greatest artists that have ever lived were Michael Angelo and Leonardo da Vinci and yet they were both sculptors, poets, anatomists and the latter a great musician, inventor and man of science also. Milton besides being one of our greatest authors was also a statesman. It is unnecessary to enumerate those whose works have proved not only that it is possible to do many things well but that doing many things makes the perfect symmetrical man, a goal toward which we should strive. They had a wide field from which to choose. They were able profoundly to influence the times in which they lived. They were symmetrically developed and the world unconsciously exalts symmetry and in no form is symmetry more facinating than in that of the human intellect.

The ability to meet the exigencies of any position or department of work and to be equally at home in all is the sign and the crown of a man's greatness. Hence we are led to the conviction that there must be a limit where the division of labor ceases to be beneficial to the individual and necessarily though for obvious reasons not to so great a degree to the nation also. Toward this limit we are tending and when we shall have reached it there must be another revolution in the habits of men's minds or the world will see no more broad, comprehensive, controling intellects that are, as it were a nation in themselves. When we shall have reached it there will be a return to the broader and more general education which, once considered necessary as a preparation to any calling is now falling more and more into disfavor. The great cry is for something practical as well as special; the practical men of to-day would banish the classics from the world of modern culture and yet by so doing they

would do despite to their own interests. Can the practical man deny that a knowledge of the classics and classical history gives him a better knowledge of human nature, than which there is nothing more practical? They help him to discern the resultant of certain forces in the present by making clear to him the tendency of those forces in the past. History repeats itself, hence to have a thorough knowledge of the people of the past is to be best qualified to judge of the people of the present or the future. It is generally claimed that the man who has the greatest practical knowledge always possesses an advantage over others, yet who has greater advantage than he who stands on the mountain top of a broad general culture and with a clear view of the whole field sees right where his efforts will be most affective? And there can be no comprehensive culture without some knowledge of the classics. By studying the lessons of the past man does not necessarily become of the past or diminish his opportunities for obtaining a knowledge of the present.

Compared with infinity there is no past and the one who is best acquainted with his age, sees and understands all its relations best and best interprets its forshadowings is the one most thoroughly acquainted with all that is to be learned of the past, its peoples, its governments and necessarily its languages. Shall man profit then by casting the past and all its records into oblivion. The most he can know of it is scanty enough and yet how much does he owe even to that modicum of knowledge. If all knowledge of the past were erased from the minds of men, all their useful theories of the present vanish.

But this is not possible, despite all men can say or do the past is as much a part of men's lives as the present

or the future. They may neglect its teaching to their detriment, but they cannot escape the subtle influence of its living spirit almost unconsciously bequeathed to each generation. The past is therefore our richest inheritance, for without it we could make no improvement, no progress, nor would any future open before us.

A RUNAWAY TRAIN.

Probably no occupation is subject to greater perils, no life more filled with incidents liable in a moment's time to develop into dangerous and thrilling experiences-than that of a locomotive engineer; and no death is so sudden, or, it may be, even, so protracted and horrible in suffering, as that which often falls to the lot of these heroes of the throttle and the lever.

The incident which I am about to relate, will serve to illustrate some of the dangers to which I have

referred.

It was a sultry day, and tired of my long ride westward, and the heat and confinement of the cars, I took opportunity, while the train waited for connections, to walk along the platform to refresh myself. As I was strolling by the engine, an unusually fine one, I stopped to admire it, and presently began a conversation with the engineer, who seemed goodhumored and friendly, and whom I perceived to be a very intelligent man.

Seeing my interest in his engine, he presently invited me to take a seat in the cab; and during the half-hour we were compelled to wait at the station he gave me many practical points of his vocation, concluding with the following narrative of an experience, without a parallel, so far as I know, in the annals of life on the rail. He said-

"In the summer of '78 I was promoted to passenger-engine 49, the

same we are in now. It was, and is still, one of the finest and fastest engines in this line. The road had then been built only five or six years, but was already doing a large freight and passenger business.

6

"The division that I ran over was a long one-a hundred and twenty miles. The boys' called it the 'ridge,' because it was up-grade from both ends to nearly the middle. The grade was pretty heavy for a part of the way, so when there happened to be a long train, an extra engine, called a 'helper,' was ordered out to help the regular engine up the grade. At the top was a tank and a sidetrack where helpers' uncoupled. It was the duty of 49' to take the west-bound express over this division.

6

"One evening there happened to be several coaches of excursionists beside the regular train, and consequently an extra engine, but not the regular "helper,' as it happened, had been ordered up to help me over the grade. I felt rather uneasy when I saw 'No. 14' back down and couple in the front of me.

"No. 14 was a very good engine, as good as any on the road for power, weight and speed, but she was in charge of an engineer whom I distrusted, Dick Rogers, a large, heavybuilt and headstrong man, much too fond of liquor. He went on his sprees' when off duty, and so had been allowed to keep his place; but it was whispered among the boys,' that he had had touches of tremens already.

"You can never quite trust a man with an appetite for liquor; put that down in black and white.

"I became more uneasy when I mounted Dick's engine to talk with him a minute and compare watches; for I detected the smell of whisky in his breath, and saw that his face was red and his eyes blood-shot.

1

out.

6

was

"At length All aboard!' given, the gong struck, and we pulled Side-tracks, streets, houses and signal-lights were soon passed. As we got out on the main line, we quickened speed and soon were going up the grade at a rate of about thirty miles an hour.

"The west-bound express made but two stops in the entire distance to the summit.' We made these all right and on time. Everything was working as well as usual. It had grown dark; and as the forward engine prevented my seeing the track ahead, I leaned back after a time on my cushion. My own son, Johnny, was firing for me, then.

"Poor boy! He was only nineteen. 1 didn't want him to go on the road, but he begged so hard, that I took him on to fire for me. Well, I sat watching him as he now and then replenished the fire, and listening to the drum-like sound of the exhaust. You know that noise, so unvaried and continuous, tends to quiet and benumb the senses. I must have sat so for a minute or two.

"Suddenly, Johnny called out to Aint you running faster than usual father?' he shouted.

me.

"I started and looked out. The engine was swaying violently; and though I could see but little in the darkness, I knew that we were on the level stretch and getting near the side track, at the summit where No. 14 was to unhook from us.

"What did Dick mean by not slowing up? I at once shut off, then sprang on the air brake.

"There was a rapid slackening of speed, for a few moments-then a sharp snap and a shrill hiss!

“The rubber hose has burst; the vacum brakes were useless! and, the speed was quickening again, we went tearing past the side track and entered on the long stretch of down grade

beyond, where with the patent brake burst, the efforts of both engines would be needed to stop or hold the train.

"Angry and astonished that Rogers could be so utterly careless, I bade Johnny set the tender brakes, and opened the front window of the cab, to shout to the foolhardy man ahead. Meantime the train conductor, or some one else, was pulling furiously at the bell-cord from the rear of the train. The instant I had opened the sash, I knew by the sound of the forward engine, that she was plunging ahead under full pressure of steam. Twice I shouted, at the top of my lungs.

"But the roar was too heavy. Then I whistled down brakes.' As if in response, a wild laugh rose from the front engine; then a jar seemed to go through the train; and I felt we were going faster than ever. I blew again-louder and longer than before. This time it was answered by three shrieks from the other whistle, followed by a number of the most awful yells that ever came out of a human throat!

"I knew then what was the cause of the reckless speed. Rodgers was drunk, crazy drunk, and was running away with us down a seventy-foot grade! And we were powerless to stop him!

"What a situation! Yet this was not the worst. As we had not stopped at the summit, we were now running ahead of orders and ahead of time, and were liable to run into a train coming up the line. It was of no use to reverse my engine against the whole force of the train, and that of the other engine besides. Once more I blew the signal for down brakes.'

6

"Just then a light shone ahead. It was the lamp of the station where we usually passed an up-freight. The head-light of the freight w

"For heaven's sake, clear the line! We've lost control of the train.Williams.'

"Wadding this up with a lump of coal in my handkerchief, I had just time to throw it as we swept by the telegraph office at the station. By good luck it hit the door, and I saw the door open as we rushed out of sight. If the freight had not yet passed the next station below, it could be ordered to the side track there and so clear the road for us.

"Just then, through the open window, I saw Rogers' fireman-a slight little fellow-coming along the running-board beside the boiler of our engine.

"For God's sake!" he cried-though I could scarcely hear him above the roar,- Stop her! stop her! Rogers is blind drunk! He'll kill us all!"

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"The prospect of a hand-to-hand conflict with a mad man was a terrible one. But I dared not stop to think of my own chances. The heavy bar which reached from my own engine to the other was about six feet long and the only way to cross over was to get astride the bar and slide along on it. I led the way, first throwing my wrench over on the tender; then I cautiously got down on the bar and began to work my way across. It was a desperate act. The shock and rush of air behind the tender, and the tremendous swaying and jerking, nearly threw me off several times. But I kept a tight grip on the bar and got across, climbed upon the tender and made my way over the coal.

"There stocd Rogers, steadying himself, as the locomotive leaped and bounded on, with his back to me. He had not seen me; and I determined to wait an instant till he opened the fire door again, then knock him down and tie him--for I was no match for him physically. I heard nothing of Johnny or Jim, but dared not turn to look for them.

"Suddenly, as I stood there poising myself to spring on Rogers, we swept like lightning round a curve and Merciful heaven! less than a mile down the track gleamed the headlight of the freight!

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spell of the liquor. With a strange scared cry he settled back upon his cushion, limp and helpless.

"But I scarcely noticed him. There was not a moment even for disabling him. With one bound I was in the cab and blew the whistle, threw back the reversing level. The shock of the reverse steam almost lifted the engine from the track and me from my seat. The big drivers spinning around on the rails looked like circles of living fire, and enveloped the engine in a perfect shower of sparks! Nobly now did old 14 struggle and groan, as if herself conscious of some terrible danger.

""Twas vain! As well might we have tried to stop an avalanche or oppose a flood. Nearer and nearer we came to that dread light.

"Onward we drove, and in another moment I saw that to stop was impossible, that the collision would come. Instinctively I closed the throttle and turned to jump. Then I thought of those I was leaving to their awful fate. If I stuck to my post, I could perhaps lessen the shock and save many lives-even if I lost my own. Better one home should be desolate than a score, and again I threw back the reversing lever, bracing myself to meet the shock, when, suddenly, I saw the freight headlight deflect-dart to one side! "Could it be?"

"Yes, praised be God for His mercy to us that night, the freight was going on the side track at L station; and seeing the danger, its engineer had barely time to quicken

up

and get his train off the main line when, with diminished speed, we ran by.

"To stop the train and pull Rogers off the engine was my first duty. This done I went back to my own engine, which I found in charge of

"Where's Johnny?" was

Jim alone.
my first anxious question.

"Alas! the hardest blow was still in store for me, Johnny, poor boy, in trying to cross, on the connecting bar, to help me overpower Rogers, had been thrown off. I knew in a moment that he must have been killed; for we were running seventy miles an hour. I was obliged to go on. But two hours later the station folks found him, seven miles back, lying mangled and dead at the foot of some rocks a few yards from the track."-Youth's Companion.

[For Manford's Magazine.]

WOMAN AS A MORAL POWER. REV. SOPHIE GIBB.

While it is the animus of man to keep in motion the many wheels of industry, to manage the secular life of the world, to engender and settle the strife of trade and politics; it is woman's mission to carry the world with its restless heart into the bosom of religious homes, to foster morals, and to encourage in every place within the circle of her influence virtue, integrity and peace. Woman's best and divinest power is in molding morals. There is great danger that in answering the many calls to fill places of public trust, and to engage in the commercial affairs of life, the higher office may be neglected.

For my own part I have no solicitude as to our opportunities to find the way to public prominence, but in my heart is a fear that these opportunities will not always be wisely used.

We should not become so anxious for fame as to forget our mission. It is our God-ordained office to be a purifier of the moral atmosphere, and wherever we go with motives not in harmony with this trust our presence will be a blight. The doors of busi