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'1 f JL THOUGHTS FOR EASTER-TffiE vs Many of the Psalms of David are filled with beautiful and great thoughts; the recogrnition of God's love, mercy and the greatness of his wor>ks; but, beautiful as, these are, they do not move us so much as those in which the soul of the man cries out in agony of body or mind. Here we find common ground. David is (10 longer a king, who reigned hun- dreds of years ago, or a poet who wrote some of th» greatest poems the world haa ever known; he is rather a suffering human being, who, in his distress, feels that he is alone in the world, with no help in sight. He feels that God has either forgotten him, or else is punishing him for his sins. "Thou hast laid me in the low-st pit. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me; Thou hast afflicted me with all Thy waves. Why hidcst Thou Thy face from me?" All these arc real hu- man cries, cries that go up from the souls of men to-day when pain and sorrow press heavily upon them. There are other passages in the psalms that come to us when the pain is lifted, or the trouble is less poign- ant; then we share in the psalmist's gratitude, in his praise to God, "who forgiveth all his sins and healeth all his infirmities." When the pain is over we may be willing to agree with the great sur- geon who speaks of it as a blessing. Our joy comes in the great peace that usually follows great pain; there is weakness, but such a wonderful sense of freedom. To rest quietly, know- ing tUat the s"ffering is past, is a great joy; enough for the present. After we have been through an ordeal of pain, anxiety or sorrow we are very likely to realize, as we never have done before, that our life here is an incomplete one. We may have Aought (luite differently until one of these things came upon us so sudden- ly that our whole outlook upon life was changed. Sometimes the years go by with only a few outward changes. Blessings may abound, and but few trials come to us; yet even if we are blessed in this way, our neighbor may suffer, and in viewing his troubles our, hearts may be sorrowful. | In some way the realization of the limitations of human life is brought to our knowledge. . No one can live ^ on selfishly; all must recognize that' life cannot be one broad glare of . sunshine. There are lessons to be learned,^ however, and joys to be. known, even in the incomplete life, and they have never been better ex- presed, it seems to me, than in a more or less familiar poem, whose author is, I regret to say, unknown to me: If none were sick and none were sad, What service could we render? I think if we were always glad. We scarcely could be tender. Did our beloved never need ' Our patient ministration, 1 Earth would grow cold, and miss, in- I deed, Its sweetest consolation. If sorrow never claimed our heart, And every wish were granted. Patience would die. and hope departâ€" Life would be disenchanted. The peace that follows pain â€" that seems to me to be a thought especial- ly suited for to-day, the day after Good Friday, the day before Easter, a halfway station between earth and heaven . How well we remember the expressions of peace upon the faces of those who, having suffered, have been released from further pain! Our first thought upon gazing at those quiet countenances has been the right one â€" a feeling of thanksgiving that the pain was past and that peace had ' taken its place. I Such a thought may have been in ' the mind.-; of Christ's faithful friends when they laid Him away in the tomb ; in the garden. They may have for- ' gotten for the time being all the promises He had made concerning , His resurrection. At that moment I they could think of Him only as a '' dear friend, the best they had ever had, who had undergone a bitter and ' painful death, and was now released ! from all suffering. They, too. may have been grateful that peace had fol- , lowed pain . BRUCE'S FAMOUS ROOT SEEDS Bruce't Giant Feedinsr Beet â€" In two colors, white and rose, a cross between Sugar Beet and Mangel, splendid croppers and keepers, and unequalled for feeding, easily harvested. X ^^- i°^'' /'» ^^- SS"^! • ^^• $i.oo; 5 lb*. $4.75 postpaid. Brace's Munmoth White Carrot â€" A half long varietv, heavy cropper, splendid quality, easil/ harvested, grand keeper. ^ lb. 60c; }i lb. Il.io; lb. $2.00 postpaid. Bruce's Giant Yellow Mang^el â€" Aa Intermediate variety, heavy cropper, g'Md keeper, of splendid feeiUng quality and easily harvested, X lb. 30c; >i lb. 5oc; lb. $i.oo; = lbs. $4.75 postpaid. Bruce's Selected Swed« Turnip â€" A grand purple top variety, splendid for the table and also for feeding cattle. A grand keeper and shipper. X 1^- 4°c; /i ^^- 75'=: ' ^^- $i-4o; S lbs. $6.75. FREE : Our valuable rri-page caialozue of Seeds, Planh, Bulbs, Implements and Poultry Supplies. Write for it to-day. HAMILTON, ONTARIO Eitabliftbod Sixt7-£iciit Y«ara |jo John A. Bruce & Co., Ltd. Easter Mydis and Menus WB reqaire immediately One Million Fire Hondred Tboasand MusLrat Skini (1,500,000). ud Fifty TKouiand Bearer Skins (50,000). We have no time to iisae Price Lists. Don't tsk (or any. Ship as your Moskrats. We vrill pay the very hiijhest Market Prices. Pat year own valuation on them if you wish, bat ship to us. A trial shipment will conTince yoo that we are the best Bayers of Raw Fars in the World. We hsve Stacks of Money. We are no Pikers. We are in the Market for the Entire Canadian Catch. We boy all kinds of Canadian Raw Fors. The George Monteith Fur Co, 21 JARVIS STREET - TORONTO, ONTARIO ! INTERNATIONAL LESSON MARCH 24. Leisson XII. â€" Jesus Ministers to the Blulutudeâ€" Mark (>. 32-44. Golden text. Matt. 20. 28. Verser* 'it. A desert placeâ€" The boat is their refuge when the pressure of the crowd becomes too great, and ' now, on some distant part of the! shore, they seek quiet and relief. They I have opportunity for conference con- 1 cerning the results of their mission-! ary tour ami also to pi anfor their I future work. Luke says they went] to Beth.saida, the city on the east side of the lake, but he calls it a "desert place" (Luke !>. 10-12). 33. Saw them goinjc . . van to gethcr thereâ€" seeing which way the} boat was heading, thoy ran around the shore at the head of the lake, cross- ; ing the Jordan flows into the lake not I far from Bi'thsaida. 34. Cunio forth â€" When he disem- barked from the boat. Saw a great! multitude â€"They would not be avoid- 1 ed or put off. They determined to} be where he wa^. Two or three' n.iles in the dust and heat around the ' lake shore were nothing if they could | only be with him. The pjirpose of 1 Jesus to secure quiet and rest was de- ' feated, and now at hand was the ever-' pressing throng; eager to see and hear and to be helped by him . Had jom- 1 passion on them â€" No word of impati-i ence or annoyance, but a feeling of} compassion. The word used indicates a yearning: toward them. Sheep not} having a shepherd â€" "^ho people who! do .not know the law is accursed,", said the Jewish leaders . The masses , found no place in the thought of the scribes, who called them .Km haarcts. 1 people of the ear'th. The formal and freezing Pharisees repelled the multi- ^ tude and labeled them "publicans and | sinners." lie began, to Tteaeh them [ many things --He spoke framhis heart , to their hearts. Patience and tend- erness must have combined these com- ' passionate messages. I 3.5, ;!(!. The day is now far spent; send them awayâ€" In their eagerness ' to be with him all question of -supplies ' had l)cen forgotten. The situation was a perplexing one â€" the late hour, ' the hungry crowd, and means of pro- ' curing food, for the place was "des- j ert," that is, uninhabited. That they may go into the country and villages' and buy- This seemed the , only thing tn do. There was foud somewhere in that region of the coun- ! try, and if the people scattered about, they couUl tiiul it. , 37. (live yo them to eat â€" Certain- ly a strange i^Muest in the face of the; obvious fact tliat no food was on hand] â€" So they must have thought. They I inferred that it could only mean they! were to buy it. Shall we buy twoj hundred shilliinrs' worth of bread?-â€" Only Mark and John specify the sum' - two hundred denarii. The denarius} wsita Roman coin worth about seven- teen cents. It is hardly correct to call it a penny. It represents the Wages for one day's work. The im- plication hero i;- that as it would take two hundred denarii, a large sum, the wli )Ie thii!^ waH out of the question. It was greatly beyond their means. John tells that Jesus himself had his plan all thought out â€" "he himself knew what he would do" (John 6. 6> â€" and that his purpose was to test Philip. 38. How many loaves ha V? ye? . . Five and two fishes â€" It is John only who says: "There's a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes," and he alone shows the ab- surdity of attempting to feed the peo- ple on this ridiculously small supply: "What are these among so many?" 40. Sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties â€" Literally, they reclin- ed, "garden beds, garden beds," that is, in i-egular formation, like sym- metrical garden beds: two long rows of one hundred and a short row of fifty persons. 41. Looking up to heaven, be blessed and brake â€" Probably the Hebrew- grace before meat, as the father sur- rounded by his household was accus- tomed to do at the Passover feast. 42. They all ate, and were fillpdâ€" As the disciples distHbnted the food it increased in the distribution. iVIeans which are to us inadequate may under the blessing of God suffice, only they must be first placed in his hands. 43. Twelve basket fulsâ€" The small wicker baskets commonly used by the Jews for carrying their food. There must be no waste, even of miraculous powcf. 44. Five thousand men â€" Matthew adds, "besides women and children" (Matt. 14. 2n. Easter. ' Easter, the anniversary of Our Lord's resurrection from the dead, is one of the three great festivals of the Christian year â€" the other two being Christmas and AVhitsunride. From the earliest period of Christianity down to the present day, it has al- ways been celebrated by believers with great joy, and is accounted the queen of festivals. In primitive times it was usual for Christians to salute each other on the morning of this day by exclaiming, "Christ is risen''; to which the person addressed replied, "Christ is risen indeed" or else, "And hath appeared unto Simon" â€" a custom still retained in the Greek Church. | The common name of this feast in the cast was the Paschal B'east, be- , cause kept at the same time as the ' Pascha or Jewish passover, and in ' some measure succeeding to it. In the sixth of the Ancyran canons it is re- ferred to as the (Jreat Day. Our own name Easter is derived, as some sup- pose, from Eostre, the name of a Saxon deity, whose feast was cele- , brated every year in the spring about, the same time as the Christian fes- ' tival-the «iame being retained when the character of the feast was chang-: ed. or, as others suppo.se, from Oster, which signifies rising. If the latter supposition be correct, Easter is in ' name, as well as reality, the feast of the resurrection. i Through there has never been any , difference of opinion in the Christian church as to why Easter is kept there has been much as to when it should be observed. Indeed the controversy last- ed for many centuries and it was not until the Council of Nice in 325 de- finitely settled the matter by decree- ing the observance of Easter on the Sunday following the Jewish passover that there wa.*- any harmony on the subject . Even this did not last for long. The date, .so far as we are af- ' fected thereby, was decided at Whitby, England, in 6t54. when the centention of .\gilbert, Roman Catholic bishop of Dorchester, who upheld the cus-i tom as it was observed at Rome, pre- vailed over the plea of Colman, bis- hop of Lindisfarne. who represented the native branch of the church. On Easter Pay depend all the move- able ecclesiastical feasts and fasts throughout the year. The nine Sun-' days before, and the eight following after, are all dependent- upon it. The nine constitute the six in Lent and Quinquagesima, Sexagesima. and Septuagesima; the eight following .ire the five after Easter, the Sunday} after Ascension Day. Whit Sunday and Trinity Sunday. j The word Easter is derived from the Saxon word Ostara or Eastrae, the Goodess of Spring, which signifies the return of life to the earth after the long death of winter. This goddess was dearly loved by the Teutons. From old heathen times comes the custom of exchange of presents of colored eggs, the* egg be- ing the symbol of life. In Germany the collection of eggs is still observed. Many colored eggs are hidden about the premises. These are supposed to be laid by the Easter rab- bit. Both young and old hunt the eggs. Then amid great shouts of joy and hilarity, feasting and dancing the day is concluded. The Russian eggs bear the inscrip- tion "Christos Vokress," which means "Christ is risen." When a Russian presents these eggs to a friend he repeats these words with religious fervor. Many novel and attractive dishes are served on this occasion; they include fancy cakes, pastry and sweetmeats. In many parts of Hungary the boys eprinkle the girls with rosewater, and then the girls in turn present the boys with gaily colored eggs. In France the Easter festival is observed with great joy. Easter has always been a grand affair since the days of the kings, when all Parisian nobles paid a visit to the king and re- ceived a royal egg. This egg was decorated in g^ilt. Boys, too, had their fun; they rolled egg^s down Montague street, St. Genevieve, Paris. Later many boys nicked the eggs for "keeps." Many students still seek eggs from the householders. DeccH rations and ornaments on eggs date from the thirteenth century. England ia rich in Easter lore. In many parts of England, especially in the shires, names are written on the eggs and they are then stored from one year to another. This cus- tom is second only to the custom of writing the name on the flyleaf of the Bible. In many homes great quan- tities of these eggs are to be found. 'Tis said that even the sun dances on Easter morn. To the great new world of ours the early pioneers brought many of the Old W'orld customs and festivals. In various parts of the country cele- brations can be found which typify their origin abroad. Easter Goodies Easter eggs can be very easily made at home. Gather the family around you and have them all help. The pleasure and anticipation will surely be a reward for the trouble. Eggs may be made with or with- out cocoanut, dipped in fondant, which may be tinted, of chocolate. Use a deep tablespoon to mold the egg, making two halves, which can be put together. Before putting together, lay a piece of string through the centre of tbe egg from end to end, letting it ex- tend sufficiently so that it may be held while dipping. Take one-half can grated cocoanut, sufficient supir to mold . Press milk from the cocoa- nut, then work in the sugar, knead- ing well. Mold, putting the two halves of the egg together. Stand aside to dry for twelve hours, then dip in white, tinted or chocolate fondant. Fondant for Dipping Eggg Two cupfula granulated sugar, three-fourth cupful water, one-fourth teaspoonful cream of tartar, one-half teaspoonful glycerine, two tablespoon- fuls corn syrup. Place the mixture in order given in a clean saucepan. Stir well until sugar is dissolved, then i wipe the side of saucepan with a i clean, damp cloth to remove all loose grains of sugar . Cook until it forms a soft ball in cool water. The best way is to use a candy thermometer. Cook to 238 degrees Fahr., then take from tire, pour on a slightly buttered platter. When cool work together from the sides to the centre. As } soon as it starts creaming use your hands to knead like bread. Set in a bowl, cover with a napkin rung from cold water. Set aside for twelve hours to ripen. To -use, heai in a double boiler until you can hardly bear the finger to touch it; beat con- stantly. Now tint and dip in eggs, holding them by the piece of string. i Put to dry on a waxed paper. To Coat With Chocolate Melt bitter or sweet chocolate un- ! til barely warm, adding one tabie- spoonful of butter to- every one-half pound of chocolate. Chocolate must be stirred carefully while heating. Neglect of this important point will I cause poor results. Easter Rabbit Use the egg mixture, mold into rab- bit forms and dip just the same as the eggs were dipped. Easter chicks may be made th^ same way. j Two Easter Menus Shoulder of spring lamb i Mint sauce I Mashed potatoes Creamed carrots ' Easter cakes i Coffee Vegetable soup Stewed chicken Scalloped potatoes Mashed turnips i Easter balls Coffee Easter Cakes Make a sheet of butter sponge cake, using' a pan one and one-half inches deep, in which to bake the cake. Cream well and add yolks of three eggs, one cupful sugar, four table- â-  spoonfuls butter, four tablespoonfuls , milk, one cupful flour, two teaspoon- ; fuls baking powder. Mix well, then fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs. Bake as directed in moderate oven for forty minutes. Cut into squares. Ice with orange wa- I ter icing and decorate with section of orange. ' Orange Water Icing Two table.spoonfuls orange juice, } yolk of one egg, sufficient icing sugar ! to spread. ! Easter Balls One-half cupful sugar, one-half cup- ful flour, one-quarter teaspoonful cream of tartar. Sift three times, then carefully fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three large eggs. I Bake in ungreased custard cups for I thirty minutes in an oven. Ice with j plain water icing . I Plain Water Icing j Two tablespoonfuls water, sufficient j icing sugar to spread. Easter is best kept by a rising; from some dead past into newness of, life. : Meat of young animals is more' tender but not so nutritious as that of maturer animals. j Easter Waiting. Wailing for the glorious coming Of the angels' glistening band. Waiting for the herald angels To reach down to earthly land; Waiting for the rising Saviour To delight the faithful few- Holy saints, with Christ behavior. The bidding of the angels do. Christ on earth again ij breathing Peace and health and joy and love; Gracious truths are seething, seething. - Waiting for the dawning dove. Dove of Heaven, on earth alighting; Chanted hallelujahs ring- - There can be no sorrow blighting; .Angels hallelujah.^ sing. Saints on earth arc ready, ready To clasp dose the blessed truth; Struggling hearts are steady, steady; Saints are angels now, forsooth. Messengers are chanting, chanting To the world from wisdom's store; Blessed truths are panting, panting; What is now has been of yore. The angels on earth and the angels above .\|{ain have recounted the story; God hath proilaimed the truth; all is love, To earth will descend all the glory. Glory to God, His iironiise fulfilled: Glory comes with the rising Son; God and His angels and earth so have willed, God and His purpfl.«!e has won. FERTILIZER PAYii letter than ever. Write .'or Bulletin ONTARIO FERTILIZERS, LIMITED ^E8T TORONTO CANA:)A I Hi: Kl KKN \L MAi'S Transcendent light, with Easter born,. .Awake, t) nations of the earth! Fill with thy glow the battlo-torn; I Comes n^crn of hope, of life, now hi- th "Seek the hving among the dead." [ Heed ye the Kcsuiieition cull. Awaken those whose blood was shed;' Rulers of kingdoms, foemen-nll; Dim with ihy gh>rv CH>iiuit>'s flame, ^ Let sMife be o'er, the tumult cease. CleaiiM- humankind of :x\\ it-^ shame, Crown Him anew the Prince u! Peace Jack-in-the-l'ulpit's Sermon. All of an Easter morning. Jack-in-the-pulpit cried, "Gather, oh, .gather, and listen. From all of the countryside! Hither, my congregation! Hither, ye flowerets gay! Hither, ye bouncing bunnies! Listen to what I say!" Over the hills they hurried. Out of the field and wood. Bunnies and blooms of April, Whither the preacher stood. There were the yellow jonquils; There were the punsies blue; There were the stately lilies; There wtre the tulips, too. Then to his congregation Jack-in-the-pulpit said. "Lo, it is Easter morning! Lift up <very head! Jell to the world your giadiies"! Show it the while ye sing Songs of the vanquished winter. Victory songs of spring! "I.e. it is Kastei morning! (.io to the world. I pray. Bearing the glorious message Born of our Easter Day! Tell how ye lay impri.soned Deep in the' mould and the night! Toll how ye burst in beauty Iniu the warmth and the light!" So on an Faster morning. Over the hills and afar. .â- Vll of the flowers of .April '-t^arry wherever they are Messiiges fair and fragrant - llo you not get them, pray ? Telling the world the meaning Flooding our Eiister Day Whispers the yellow jonquil. Whispers the pan.'»y blue. Whispers the stalidy lily. Whispers the tulip, too: "l.ing did we lie imprisoned TVop ill the mould and the night; ii'hen we burst in beauty Into ;he warnilh and th.? light!" y.Tv ilay is done. Kre day is done. Easter Day. The brook's faint ripple. The forest hush, A pale grreen buil on each vine and bush, A bird's low note on the waking air, A fragrant lily blossoming there. I A band of children softly singing ^_ ; Till far and near Joy bells are rhfgTng. j .'Vnd over all the Springtime glory j While lips repeat the wondrous story Of a risen Christ. Death speeds away In the clear bright d;»wn of Easter Day. The Easter Robin. .â- V sweet legend of the Greek Church tells us that "C)ur Lonl used to feed the robins round His mother's door when a boy; moreover, that the robin never left the sepulchre till the Resurrection, and, at the Ascension, joined in the angels' song." .\nother popular story. how.ever. re- lates that when Christ wa.- on His way to Calvary, toiling Ix-neath the burden of the Cross, the rtd.iin. in its kindness, plucked a thorn from the crown that oppressed His brow, and the blood of the Divine Martyr dyed the breast of the bird, which evci since has borne the insignia of its charity. .A variant of the same legend makes the thorn wound the bird itself and its own Mood dye its breast . - -> Easter. Kasier for the world, and does it rise from the dead at morn to glorious skies? Faster for the world; and who to-day from the t.(.>mb's portal rolls the stone away? Easter for the world; md mourners stir, like ghosts, about the sepulchre. Easter for tbi- world; Golgotha's cross lies hea\ > on its grief and loss, while weeping women, sort- in pain, wring helpless hands and cry in vain. Eas'er for the world: and Olivet, with tear.* of millions now is wet. Easier for tho world; its agony recalls again Geth seinane. Easter for the world; beyond the ea'-cs of death its resurrection waits. Easter for the world, unju.st- ly tried, «hackled and scourged and crucified Faster for the world, and not unfit. Father, hast tbon forgot ten it? W i. Lampton.