An earnest worker writes us a letter relative to her local society, from which we extract the following:—

"Most of us have been tried as by fire in many ways. We are few and poor in this world's goods, but all are earnest seekers for the whole Truth, as taught by the Master and our Leader. The contributions to the support of the work are small indeed, but I am sure it is all the members can pay. As an example of about all of our members, I will mention one man, Mr. C. of Bellefonte. His wages are ninety-five cents per day. He has to pay house rent and support his family of seven. He pays twenty cents per month towards the support of the church. It is all that he can pay, but that man, poor as he is, has nearly all of the Mother's books, takes the Journal and Quarterly, has 'The Journeyings of Jesus,' and Cruden's Concordance. At first he seemed less promising than others, but his growth in grace and in spiritual knowledge is a surprise, and his family too have been transformed by the blessed teaching of Christian Science."

Extract from a Letter:—"As to the Weekly, I cannot tell you what I think of that, only I feel all that has been said or written about it. For a year I have felt a lack somewhere that I could not define until this came, and at once I knew, for this filled it.

"I feel a strength and solidity between the lines of the Journal that makes me straighten up every time it comes, and the new Quarterlies are marvelous. That the committee can know and meet my weekly needs can be explained in only one way,—the realization of the ever-present Truth. The study of these lessons is what keeps my courage up whenever it begins to ebb a little.

"The Mother-heart that can reach so far into the Field, and see and meet the needs of her little ones, and never fail in supplying them to such a marvelous fulness, proves itself more and more to proceed from but one Source."

One after another our beliefs are knocked in the head. Now it is laughter that is dangerous and to be avoided. Goodness knows the world is none too jolly, but if laughing produces nervous exhaustion what can be done to preserve our nerves except we pull long faces and look more melancholy than we are. What becomes of the injunction to laugh and grow fat, if the British Medical Journal is right about it being injurious to hysterical girls and boys? It strikes a sane person that medical science must be languishing for lack of something to discuss, when it attacks the very thing that conduces to the general cheerfulness of mankind. Because some weakling may suffer from immoderate hilarity, shall the dangers of laughing be brought to the consideration of normal, wholesome-minded people? Perish the thought! Laugh if you can, and don't think what the cachinnation may be doing to your heart.—Boston Herald.

The annual Chicago day celebration of the Hamilton Club was held October 10, in the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago. Chauncey M. Depew, as guest of the club, was the principal speaker. He said in part,—

"Certainly what has transpired since November, 1896, astonished even the American people. From industrial paralysis has come industrial activity; from an isolated nation, living within itself, seeking only the development of its own resources, we have become a great world power.

"The political atmosphere was cleared of clouds, the financial atmosphere of distrust, the business atmosphere of despair, and the American mind of dreams by the election of William McKinley. To-day we are not only becoming dangerous competitors of the nation of Europe within their own boundaries, but we are to follow them across the Pacific and enter the Orient."

The other day a distracted mother brought her daughter to see a physician. The girl was suffering from "general lowness." The doctor prescribed for her a glass of claret three times a day with her meals. The mother was somewhat deaf but apparently heard all he said, and bore off her daughter. In ten days time they were back again, and the girl was rosy-cheeked, smiling, and the picture of health. The doctor congratulated himself upon the keen insight he had displayed in his diagnosis of the case. "I am glad to see that your daughter is so much better," he said. "Yes," exclaimed the grateful mother; "thanks to you, doctor! She has had just what you ordered. She has eaten carrots three times a day since we were here, and sometimes oftener—and once or twice uncooked—and now look at her!"—Argonaut.

The doctrine of eternal punishment is discussed in this week's Congregationalist, and the editor states that "the more logical method is that of deciding the question independently of Christ's teaching about it, and thus showing that if he was as well informed concerning the future world as intelligent men now are, he could not have taught that future punishment is eternal. This method appears to be growing in favor. We think it is the most convincing form of argument yet advanced against a doom which many Christians cannot bring themselves to believe has ever been or ever will be authoritatively pronounced against any one." Boston Evening Transcript.

The Rt. Hon. Charles Adolphus Murray, Earl of Dun-more, Scotland, was present with his wife, Lady Dunmore, and two daughters, at the Christian Science experience meeting of this week, in the "Mother Church," and stated that he had been healed of an internal injury through Christian Science, and referred to the spiritual light which Christian Science had brought to him and his family. He alluded, in closing, to the increasing friendship between England and this country, and predicted an alliance based on the broad principles of Christianity.—Boston Evening Transcript.

First Church of Christ, Scientist, at Pana, Ill., moved into its new room in the Y. M. C. A. Building, the finest in the city, October 2. Among the guests attending the services from out of the city were Mrs. Elizabeth Harris, First Reader at Springfield, Ill.; Mr. and Mrs. William Camp, earnest Christian Science workers of Clinton, Ill.; Mr. William Tice, the only Scientist known to be at Shelbyville, Ill., and Mrs. Lolo Wall, a Scientist of Chicago. Washington News Letter.