The Little Gleaner Part 52

The species is distributed over East India, and finds also a favourable habitation in Madagascar. It lives in immense colonies, and its swarms have been compared with those of gnats, while the branches they infest sometimes break down with their great weight. They feed on dates, bananas, the guava fruit, and also eat insects, the young and eggs of birds, and apparently at times snakes. Their flesh is edible, and esteemed immensely by natives, who catch them in nets in the trees, and kill them on the ground.

In flight, they can be brought down by a blow delivered on the expanded arms, covered with the flying membrane (patagium), as these are very weak.

This species is seen more often in captivity than any other; and Brehm, from whose admirable Thierleben these notes are taken, speaks with characteristic enthusiasm of his observations made upon one. The "fox"

slept nearly all day, though regularly he devoted some time to the cleansing and preparation of his "flying machine," and occasionally bestirred himself for the enjoyment of a cherry or a sip of milk. At the approach of night he became restless and excited, stretched his wings, and vainly attempted to escape. He displayed temper, and would bite sharply any one whose familiarities he resented. The combats of these animals with one another are very relentless, and generally terminate with the death of one or both contestants.

The head in these bats is long and pointed, the ears moderately large, the nose without the appendages seen in the insectivorous bats, and the jaws armed with incisors, canines, and molar teeth. They form in their habitat interesting spectacles; and their whirring progress through the air at night, or the pendent throngs they present by day, alike astonish the visitor to Ceylon and India. The bats are naturally regarded as one of the most distinctly marked groups of animals; and among them the flying-foxes (_Pteropidae_) are easily identified. They have long been known in literature, and the ancient Herodotus spoke of them in Arabia, and said that the inhabitants protected themselves against them in dresses of leather. Later cla.s.sic authors referred to them, and many naturalists have in the East carefully observed their habits.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FLYING FOXES.]

KILLED BY LIGHTNING.

DEAR MR. EDITOR,--As a warning to any of our young friends who, when they leave home to take part in the battle of life, may be thrown amongst revilers and blasphemers, I will relate a sad occurrence which took place in the next village to this on Monday, June 25th, 1888.

A club is held in the village of Birdham, where this took place, and on the evening previous, being the Sabbath evening, the stall-keepers, swinging boat proprietors, &c., were drinking at the village inn, and one of the company, a young man of twenty, was swearing and flouris.h.i.+ng his hands over his head, saying he did not care for any one. G.o.d might strike him blind if He liked.

The next day, about noon, a heavy thunderstorm burst over the village.

This young man had gone into the field with the horse, a little boy being beside him, when a flash of lightning darted down, cut his hat to pieces, and left him a corpse. One ear was split, and one hand and the face were black.

Thus it was not long before G.o.d dealt with this young mocker in a manner more awful than he probably expected. This was so sad that it impressed many with solemn thoughts, and led to the following similar sad story being again related.

Some years since, in the next village, Earnley, a man being accused of taking some money, declared that, if he had it, he hoped his legs and arms might be burned off. A storm arose, the lightning darted athwart the heavens, fell on the barn wherein he was, burned the barn, and his body was afterwards found with legs and arms burned off.

This was related to me by a woman named Shepherd, now living within a short distance of where the barn stood, and who saw it on fire.

Still another sad tale. On Sunday last, four young men left Bognor for Selsey--a few miles' trip by boat on the sea. At Selsey they took too much drink, and, on their return, the boat capsized, and they were in the water for an hour crying for help; but although many heard them one and two miles away--it being a still night--no one seems to have known whence the sounds came. Thus all four Sabbath-breakers perished. One of the poor fellows wore the knees of his trousers quite away in his attempts to climb on the overturned boat.

A. E. P.

_Sidlesham._

P.S.--Selsey also joins this village. I saw the boat rowing towards it about half-past four.

["The wages of sin is death." Reader, how are you living? How shall you die, and where shall you go? Remember that all who are out of Christ are exposed to the wrath of G.o.d, while all who, by faith, flee to Him for mercy, are saved from the wrath to come. Beware of mocking G.o.d, of despising His Word, and of desecrating His day. "The way of transgressors is hard," but "whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy."--ED.]

THE highest visible form of Christian life is self-denial for the good of others.

AN AGED PILGRIM'S HISTORY.

An aged pilgrim of seventy-two years, recently made a pensioner of our Society, has lately come under our notice, and as an example of courageous faith, it may interest our readers and others to know something of this poor old man.

Having faithfully served our country for fourteen years as a soldier in the 14th Light Dragoons, and having been severely wounded during the Crimean War, in which he served in all the special engagements, he was paid off as unfit for further service, receiving a pension for only ten years, as he was unable to complete the full term of service (twenty-one years) which would have ent.i.tled him to a pension for life.

After leaving the army he worked as a labourer, whenever he could find employment, and was brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ about twenty years ago, after which he was soon engaged in carrying heavy loads at Cotton's Wharf, in Tooley Street, London.

After seventeen years of this work, he one day, unhappily, stumbled whilst carrying a load, and fell backwards some distance, the back of his head being split open. This brought about paralysis on the left side, and some two years afterwards it resulted in the loss of his sight. For three years he has been stone blind, and has suffered at times most acutely from pain in the head; but his indomitable energy, and strong faith in his "dear Heavenly Father," have kept him from falling to the level of a pauper; and rather than gravitate to the condition of an inmate of one of our Unions, he has bravely endeavoured to make a living by playing a musical instrument in the streets.

To add to his affliction, his wife, in 1883, was run over in the streets of London, and died in an hospital under amputation of both legs. Thus, left without relation or friend, this poor blind man had to face this cold and unheeding world alone; and yet he is never alone, for his faith is so bright that he goes out, walking long distances, trusting to G.o.d to preserve him in his way.

On one occasion, he was taken by a constable before the Lord Mayor of London, charged with playing an instrument in the streets, and having been questioned as to what he did, answered that he played a small instrument by which to keep himself. The Lord Mayor asked him to play a tune, which he accordingly did, and he at once took the part of this aged pilgrim, gave him five s.h.i.+llings, and reprimanded the constable for arresting the poor old man, and told him to look after those who were doing really wrong things in the streets, and not to bring poor, helpless men to him like that. This poor man, hearing the severe words addressed to the constable by his lords.h.i.+p, immediately began to beg that no punishment might be meted out, quietly remarking, "My lord, very likely he is a young constable, and has not quite learnt his duties.

Don't punish him; don't punish him." Thus did he show the true Christian spirit of love for his enemies.

To ill.u.s.trate the marvellous energy of will and courage of heart in this old veteran, on one occasion he was badly bitten by a ferocious dog, which left a terrible wound on his leg. No sooner had it got well enough for him to crawl, than he walked four miles in awful agony to see one of his friends, taking four and a half hours over the journey. Such men are worthy of our support.

Our readers may ask, "How is it that Government does not look after this old soldier?" But it is explained when we learn that he married "off the strength," _i.e._, without leave, and so is now left to do the best he can, unaided by his country.

From town to town this poor man, literally a pilgrim, wanders, seeking the "wherewithal" to keep body and soul together. Often would he have been starved, but for friends whom the good Lord has raised up for him in the most unexpected ways.

Wherever he goes he carries the savour of Christ with him, and boldly witnesses for his Saviour, abominating the awful language and behaviour which he has to put up with in the houses where he lodges for the night; and has even been pushed and struck because he has spoken out against the evil by which he was surrounded. Thus actually from day to day dependent upon his "Father in heaven" for his "daily bread," he lives by faith; and thank G.o.d we know that, not having "his portion in this life," there awaits him in due time the sweet rest of heaven, where he shall be for ever "comforted" and owned in his Father's kingdom.--H. J.

K., in _Quarterly Record of the Aged Pilgrims' Friend Society_.

A MODEL PRAYER-MEETING.

It was a cheerful chapel above ground, filled with seats, wide enough apart to kneel down between them, if one wanted to do so, well warmed and well ventilated.

At the time fixed for the meeting, first of all came Brother _Punctuality_. His watch and actions are always regulated to the minute by the town clock. Once he and the minister came together. They waited one minute for others who came not, and then each prayed, talked, and sang. They spent fifteen minutes thus, and then left.

On their way home they met the rest coming, who said, "Why, are we not to have a meeting?" "Oh, _we_ have had one," was the reply. That cured all, except the most incorrigible, of their delay. Some people are chronically tardy. You can never change them. They are always too late for work, too late for dinner, too late for church. What a mercy if they are not at last among those who come when the door is shut! They disturb the devotions of others. Not so Brother Punctuality; only he has one troublesome fault. When the hour is done he opens that inevitable hunting-watch of his, and snaps it to with such a nervous jerk that it says very plainly to all, "Now, shut up and go home." This is bad enough in ordinary and dull times, but when hearts are warm, and prayers are strong, and the current of love flows fully, let there then at least be a little more lat.i.tude.

Congenial with this brother is Brother _Prompt.i.tude_. When the leader opens the meeting, he is always ready to rise. He shudders at these pauses. They are to him as ice-cakes clogging the current of love, hindering the wheels of prayer. Yet he would not rush things. I have known him to count _seven_, the mystic number of the Scripture, and then, if no one rose to speak or pray, he did. He is thus a minute man, ready for action in a minute, and hating to lose the minutes. Slower natures than his complain that he does not give them time to think. No matter; they may learn at last not to be so slow.

In the other seat sits Brother _Brevity_. He has something to say, and having said it he sits down. When some overstocked divine or some thin-laid layman drags wearily along with a chain of dull plat.i.tudes, he is very twitchy, wondering why people will waste so much good breath and use so many poor words in saying nothing.

Brother _Pointedness_ deeply sympathises with him. He wants to see people take good aim at the mark, and hit it--not try to see how near they can come and not do it.

Brother _Round-the-Circle_ greatly distresses him, who, if he has a fact, an incident, or an ill.u.s.tration, has so many minor details to dwell upon that he smothers the infant-truth under his ma.s.s of old clothes.--_Selected._

[Perhaps this curious sketch may yield useful hints to some who read it.--ED.]

GENEROSITY AND LOVE.

The late Duke of Portland was a n.o.bleman who contrived to pa.s.s through life without much noise, but reaped happiness and respect in abundance, and, while gratifying his taste for rural occupation, conferred the most lasting benefits on the country. The following, among many stories, is told of him:--