THE contemporary Club Lectures on American History, were given during March and April, in the Unitarian Church of Madison, Wis. It is needless to say that this third season was as successful as were those preceding. The general theme considered was 'Crossing the Alleghanies," and the various lectures, with dates, as follows: March 4th, "The Land and the People," Frederick J. Turner, Assistant Professor of American History in the State University; March 11th, "Kentucky Pioneers," Prof. James D. Butler, LL. D., vice-president of the State Historical Society; March 18th, "George Rogers Clark and the Conquest of the Northwest," Reuben G. Thwaites, secretary of the State Historical Society; April 8th, "East Tennessee and King's Mountain," Prof. A. O. Wright, secretary of the State Board of Charities and Reform; April 15th, "Robertson and Sevier as Commonwealth Builders," David E. Spencer, Instructor in History in the State University.

FROM a recent issue of the Philadelphia Press, we learn that the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution have taken action on two points that must prove of particular interest and importance. It was decided to undertake the erection of stone tablets to mark the scenes of Revolutionary battles in the country about Philadelphia, and also to secure copies at least of all accessible papers and documents of value bearing upon the time of the Revolution. "Both these movements must prove of great value. All about Philadelphia, extending through several counties, there is most interesting historical ground. The Continental Army fought over a considerable portion of the territory, and

was particularly active in Chester County, but there has never been anything to mark these operations in that definite way that is desirable."

THOSE who are fond of tracing current political expressions back to their source, must go farther away than 1863 to learn the origin of a dark horse," as applied to an unknown or reserved political candidate. In Thackery's "Adventures of Philip," may be found the following, direct to the point: "A gentleman united to our family, by the closest ties will offer himself as a candidate for your suffrages

"Why, who is it? He is not going to put in Uncle Twysden, or my sneak of a cousin?” "No," says Mr. Bradgate.

"Why, bless my soul! he can't mean me," said Philip. "Who is the dark horse he has got in the stable?"

Then Mr. Bradgate laughed. Dark horse you may call him. The new member is to be Greenville Woolcomb, Esq., your West India relative, and no other."

THIS does not supply the origin of the expression, but it traces it back some thirty years. We can, however, give the origin of that other current phrase, "fixing his fences," as having reference to some wary statesman who has gone home to see that his political plot is in good order. Some twelve or fourteen years ago, Frank G. Carpenter, now a Washington correspondent, was at his home in Mansfield, O., where Senator John Sherman had gone, to look after his canvass in a pending senatorial election. As Carpenter was the Mansfield correspondent of the Cleveland Leader, he was directed to

AT the April conference of the Mormon church, Wilford Woodruff, the seer, revelator and prophet in spiritual things, and the president in things temporal, made a startling declaration. He announced that there would be no more spiritual revelation to this age, as God had given enough light to the world already for its guidance and salvation. This means that the Mormon leaders hereafter are to avoid the embarrassments of the past, and are not to be expected to have special spiritual directions in their management of the church. From the day of Joseph Smith until the present, the church has taught the doctrine of divine guidance as declared in especial revelation through the mouth of the leader and prophet of the church. The later presidents, Taylor and Woodruff, have been far more sparing of the use of this weapon of power than was Smith, while Brigham Young practiced it only upon great occasions. Hereafter it is not to be used at all. The fact is significant. It shows that Mormonism must take its chance hereafter with other creeds, and that its greatest superstitions are falling away before the light.

THE power that Woodruff thus relinquishes was claimed by him in abundance in the early days of his church labors. It not only embraced the gifts of healing and blessing, but went in one case even to the raising of the dead. This is no Gentile invention, as the story is told in his own words in that "Little Leaves from my Journal," that he has published for the guidance of the Mormon youth. It was back in 1838, when the

now president was young and full of zeal if not yet of knowledge. He had been preaching with power and result upon the islands of the coast of New England, and followed by fifty-three willing converts, was on the long road from Maine to the Mormon gatherings in Missouri and Illnois. His beloved wifein those days the Saints were each confined to one-was taken ill in the wagon in which they were laboriously moving forward through slush and snow and freezing weather. He moved her to the shelter of a house by the roadside. He laid hands upon her and prayed over her. She soon revived and slept some through the night, A day passed; she seemed to be gradually sinking, and in the evening her spirit apparently left her bodyand she was dead. "The sisters gathered around her body," continues the narrative, "weeping, while I stood looking at her in sorrow. The spirit and power of God began to rest upon me, until, for the first time during her sickness, faith filled my soul, although she lay before me as one dead.

"I HAD Some oil that was consecrated for my anointing while in Kirtland. I took it and consecrated it again before the Lord for anointing the sick. I then bowed down before the Lord and prayed for the life of my companion, and I anointed her body with the oil in the name of the Lord. I laid my hands upon her, and in the name of Jesus Christ I rebuked the power of Death and the Destroyer, and commanded the same to depart from her and the spirit of life to en ter her body. Her spirit returned to her body and from that hour she was made whole; and we all felt to praise the name of God, and to trust in Him and to keep His commandments. While this operation was going on with me (as my wife related afterwards) her spirit left her body and she saw it lying upon the bed, and the sisters weeping. She looked at them and at me and upon her babe; and while gazing upon this scene two personages came into the room carrying a

coffin, and told her they had come for her body. One of these messengers informed her that she could have her choice: She might go to rest in the spirit world, or, on one condition she could have the privilege of returning to her tabernacle and continuing her labors upon the earth. The condition was, if she felt that she could stand by her husband, and with him pass through all the cares, trials, tribulations and afflictions of life which he would be called upon to pass through for the gospel's sake unto the end. When she looked at the situation of her husband and child she said, 'Yes, I will do it.'"

He

"The

MANY other miracles were performed by this modern worker by the gift of faith. The wife of a friend was sick of a fever. placed his hands upon her, and commanded her to walk. "She arose, and was healed from that instant, and she walked down to the sea, and I baptized her." The husband of this same woman, Ebenezer Carver, a resident of one of the Atlantic islands above mentioned, was converted to Mormonism by a miraculous fish, or, more properly, a fish moved by some spiritual power. He had been investigating the doctrines preached to him by the Apostle Woodruff, and in search of truth, walked down to the sea shore, wishing for a physical manifestation. passage of scripture came to his mind that there would be no sign given 'but the sign of the prophet Jonas,' and while this thought was in his mind a large fish arose to the top of the water, a distance from him in the sea, and suddenly sank out of sight. He much desired to see it again, and soon it arose to the top of the water, accompanied by another fish of about the same size, and one of them swam on the water in a straight line towards Mr. Carver, as he stood upon the shore. It came as near to him as the water would permit, and then stopped and gazed at him with a penetrating eye, as though it had a message for him. It then returned to its mate, in the ocean, and swam out of sight."

Of course Mr. Carver was convinced from that hour, especially because, as the writer adds, "this was at a season of the year when fish of that size are never known upon those shores or seas; and they are never, at any season, known to come ashore as in the case mentioned."

THE Contests between Satan and the Apostle, for Mr. Woodruff was counted at an early day as worthy to be classed as one of the Prophet Smith's chosen Twelve, were frequent, and always ended with victory for the last named. Once, while in Manchester, upon his mission to England, he was informed that one of the Mormon sisters was possessed of a devil, and was urged to speedily cast it out: "I went to the house where the woman lay, in the hands of three men," the Apostle tells us, "in a terrible rage, and trying to tear her clothing from her. If I acted upon my own judgment I should not have attempted to administer to her with the company present, but as I was a stranger there, and Brother Clayton presided over the branch, I joined him in administering to the woman. But the unbelief of the wicked present was so great, we could not cast the devil out of her, and she raged worse than ever. I then ordered the room to be cleared, and when the company left the house, except the few attending her, we laid hands upon her, and I commanded the devil to come out of her, in the name of Jesus Christ. The devil left her, and she was entirely cured and fell asleep." These examples are but one or two of the many, for Mormon theology has made much of the very things which the church now declares have gone by for ever, for this age, at least.

ARRANGEMENTS are being made for the formal dedication of the Garfield Memorial structure, at Cleveland, O., on Decoration Day. Ex-President Hayes, the president of the association, has issued the following explanatory announcement: "The Garfield