The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-02-27

hot sands Of the desert, Oh, what a change II
was And In one day we often see the wheel Of
fortune turn Here is some one who lived In the
very bright home of her father She had every
thing possible 10 administer TO her happiness
plenty at the table, music In the drawing TOem
welcome at the door. She is led forth into life by
some one who cannot appreciate her; a dissipated
soul comes In and takes her out into the desert;
iniquilies blot out all the lights of the home cir.
Gle; harsh words wear out her spirits; the high
hopes that sh0ne out over the marriage altar
while the ring was being set and the VOWS given
and the benedicyion pronounced, have all faded
with the orange blossoms and there she is to-day
broken hearted, thinking OF past joy and present
desolation and coming anguish. Hagar in the
wildeTnesssl
Here is a beautiful home. You cannot think OF
anything that can be added to It, FOryears there,
has not been the suggestion of a siu gle trouble;
Bright and happy children fill the house with
laughter and song; books to read pictures TO look
al; lounges 10 rest on; cup Of domestic jy full
and running over; dark night drops pillow hot;
pulses dutter; the eyes close, and the foot whose
well.knOwn step on the dooTsill brought the
whole house out at eventide crying, Fathers
a long, deep grief plOwed through all that light
ness Of do estiC life; paradise lost; WidoWhOOd;
Hagar in the Wilderness
How often 1t Is We seee the wesk k arm Of woman
COnscTipted for this battle with the rough world
Who Is she, 20 ng down the street in the early
not half slept out with the sumbers Of last night
tragedies OF suffering written all over her face
her lusterless eyes looking far ahead as though
for the coming OF some other trouble, Her parents
called her Mary, or Bertha, OF Agnes on the day
when they held her up TO the font and the Chris.
tian minister sprinkled on the infants face the
washings Of holy baptism Her name Is chang
now. l hear 1t In the shuttle Of the worn out
shoes, see II In the figure OF the faded calico.
find 1t In the lineaments OF the woe begOue Coun-
Hagar In the wilderness May God have mercy
upon woman In her tolls, her struggles her hard.
ships, her desolaioD, and may the heart OF Divine
sympathy enclose her forever.
Again hud In this Oriental scene the fact that
every mother leads forth tremendous destinies.
You say, THAT is not an unusual scene, mother,
leading her child byth hand" What is It that
she Is leading2 Ishmael, you say. Who is 1sh-
mae2 great nation is TO be founded; a nation
so strong that II Is to stand for thousands of years
against all the armies Of the world Egypt and
Assyria thunder against II; but In vain. Persia
tries to make It pay the tax but In vain, The
Turks and Tartars and Mamelukes resolve to
subdue it. but In vain. Gsulus brings up his
army; and his army Is Bmitten. Alexander de-
cides upon campaign, brings up his hosts and
dies. For long while that nation monopoliEes
the learning Of the world. II Ia the nation ofthe
Hagar led into the wilderness. She had 10 idea
that she was leading forth such destinies Meth.
er does any mother. You pass along the street,
and see boys and girls who will yet make the
earth quake with their influence Who is that
boy at sutton Pool, Plymouth, EDgls "1-bare.
foot d wading down into the Rlush and me un.
Ill his bae oot comethlp' pi CO of glats lud he
lifts It, bleeding and painstruCk7 That uOund
decides that he be sedentary in his life, decides
that he be student That wound by the lass
in the foot decides that he shall be John L. Ito,
who shall provide the best religious encycloJ Ia
the world has ever had provided, and, with rs
own writings as we'll, throwing light upon a
word OF God such az has come from no other man
in this century oh, mother, that little hand
that wanders over your face may yet be lifted 10
hurl thunderbots Of war, or drop beDedictions,
That little voice may blaspheme God In the grOg'
shop, or cry Forward TO the Lords hosts as
they go out for their last victory. My mind this
morning leaps thirty years ahead, and see a
merchant prince Of New York. One stroke Of
his pen brings q ship out of Canton. Another
stroke Of his pen takes o ship into Madras. He is
mighty in all the money markets of the world.
Who is he? He sits this morning besiu you In the
Tabernacle, Ny mind leaps thirty years forward
from now, and fud myself in Religious As
sOclation. great multitude Ofreligious women
have met together for q generous purpose. There
is one woman In that crowd who seems to have
the confidence Of all the others, and they all look
up to her for her counsel and for her prayers.
Who is she? This afternoon you will find her In
the Sabbath-sch while the teacher tells her Of
that Christ who clothed the naked and fed the
hungry aud healed the sick. My mind leaps for.
ward thirty years from now, and Itind myself in
an African jungle; and there Is missionary of
the Cross addressing the natives, and their dus
Ky countenanCes are irradlated with the glad It'd
ings of great Joy and salvation. Who Is he2 Did
yoC not hear his voice In the hrst song of the ser
vice2 My mind leaps forward thirty years from
now, and find my self looking through the wick
cts of a prison. 1 see face scared with every
crime. His chin on his open palm, his elbow on
his knee-a picture Of dspairl As / open the
wicket he starts, and hear his chain clank The
jail-keeper tells me that he has been in there now
three times-hrst for theft then for arson now for
murder. He steps upon the trap door, the rope 10
fastened to his neck, the plank falls his body
swings into the air, his soul swings off Into eter
nifty. Who Is he aud where is he2 This after
noon playing kite on the City commons Mother,
you are this morning hOisting throne or forging
q chain-you are kindling star or digging o
dungeon.
A good many years ago Christian mother sat
teaching lessons of religion TO her child, and he
drank In those lessons. She never knew that
Lampher would come forth and establish the
Fulton street pray yer meeting, and by one meet
ing revolutiOnize the devOtons of the whole
earth and thrill the eternihes with his Christian
influence. Lamphier said 1t was his mother who
brought him to Jesus Christ. She never had an
idea that she was leading forth such destines
But, oh, when sec mother reckless other intiu
enCe, rafting on toward destruction, garlanded
for the sacrifice with unseemly mirth and GOdli-
ness dancing on down to perdition taking her
child in the same direction, preparing them for
life Of frivOlity, death OF shame, and an eternity
of disaster, cannot help but say: "There they
go, there they co. Hagar and lshmaell" l tell
you there are wilder deserts than BeeTsheba in
many OF the fashionable circles of this day Dis
sipated parents leading dissipated children! ava
rcious parents leading avaricious childred; pray
eriess parents leading prRyerless children They
go through every street up every dark alley. into
every dark cellar, along every highway Hagar
and lshmae And while pronounce their names
1t seems like the moaning Of the death wind. Ha
gar aud Ishmasll
learn one more lesson from this Oriental scene
and that is that every wilderness has well in l.
Hagar and Ishmael gave up to die; HagaTs heart.
sauk within her as she heard her child crying
water water !" "Ah r. she says my darling,
there is no water. This is a desert" And then
Gods angel said from the cloud: What aileth
thee Hagar" And she looked up and saw him
bottle for the lad. Blessed be God that there isn
every wilderness well. If you only knew how to
find it-founains for all these thirsty souls this
morning On that last day, on that great day OF
the feast, Jesus stood and oried III any man
thirst, let him come 10 me and drink" All these
other fountains you find are mere mirsges Of the
desert. Paracelsus, you know spent his time in
trying TO find out the elixir OF life-a liquid
which, If taken, would keep one perpetually
young In this world, and would change the aged
back again TO youth. OF course he was dsap-
pointed; he found not the elixir. But here tell
you this morning Of the elixir Of everlasting life
bursting from the "ROck Of Ages, and that drink
ing that water you shall never get old and you
will never be sick, and you will never die "Ho
every one that thirsteth, come ye 10 the waters s."
Ah here Is man who says: u have been look
ing for that fountain great while, but can't hnd
IT," And here is some one else who says: II be
lieve all you say, but have been trudging along
in the wilderness and can't flud the fountain
Do you know the reaFOni will tell you. You
never looked In the right direction. "Oh," you
say, have looked every where. have look
ed North, South, East, West, and have't found
the fountain" Why you are not looking in the
right direction at all. Look up, where HAgar
looked she never would have found the fountain
ct all, but when she heard the voice OF the angel