Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-09-20

y
world, what glorious thing it Is tt
, mount celestial equipages, and if you
life on earth, wss domestic martyrdom
oh, the joy of an eternity In which you
, shall have nothing to do except wha1
you choose to do. Martha has had nc
drudgery for eighteen centuries. Iquar
rel with theOlOgians who want to d1stri.
butte all the thrones in Heaven among
the John KnOxes and the Hugh Lati-
mers. Some of the brightest thrones OF
Heaven will be kept for Christian house
keepers. Oh, what change from here
to there-from the time when they put
down the rolling-pin to when they take
up the sceptre. If Chatsworth Park
and Stewards mansion On Fifth avenue
were to be lifted into the celestial city,
they would be considered uninhabitable
rookeries; and glorifled Lazarus would
be ashamed to be going in and out of
either of them.
There are many housekeepers who
could get along with their tolls if it
were not for sickness and trouble. The
fact is, one. half of the women of the
land are more or less inyalids. The
mountain lass who has never had an
ache or pain may consider household
toll incOnsiderable, and toward evening
| ohO AAcJ ohAP oWo W luC llCluS
and drive home the cattle, and she may
until 10 o'clock at night fill the house
with laughing racket. But, oh, to do
the work of life with worn. out consti.
tuition, when the whoopiDg cough has
been raging for six weeks in the house
hold, making the night as sleepless as
the day-that is not so easy. Perhaps
this comes after the nerves have been
shattered by some bereavement that
has left desOlatiOn in every room in the
house and set the crib in the garret be-
cause the occupant has been hushed in
to slumber which needs no mothers
lullaby. Oh, she could provide for the
| whole group great deal better than
she can for part of the group now that
the rest are gone, though you may tell
her God is taking care of those who are
gone. It is mother-like to brood both
f1ocks, and one wing she puts within
the grave. There is nothing but
THE OLD-FAsHIONED RELIGION
of Jesus Christ that will take woman
through the trials of home life. At first
there may be a romance or a novelty
that will do for substitute. The mar
riage hour has just passed and the per-
plexities of the household are more
than atoned by the joy of being togeth.
er, and by the fact when it is late they
do not have to discuss the question as to
whether 1t is time to 60. The mishaps
of the household, instead of being
matter of anxiety and apprehension, are
matter of merriment-thelo loaf of bread
slushy custaIds, the jaundiced or meas
ly biscuits. 1t is very bright sunlight
that falls on the cutlery and the mantel
Orn naments of a new home
But after while the romance is all
gone; then there is something to be
prepared for the table that the book
called Cookery Taught in Twelve Les
sons" will not teach. The receipt for
making it is not handful of this, a
cup of that and spoonful of something
else. 1t is not something sweetened
with ordinary condiments, or favored
with ordinary fiavors, or baked in or
binary ovens. 1t is the loaf of domestic
happiness and all the ingredients come
down from Heaven, and the fruits are
plucked from the tree of life, and it is
sweetened with the new wine of the
Kingdom. and it is baked in the oven
of the home trial. Solomon wrote out
of his own experience. He had a
wretched home. A man can not be
happy with two wives, much less go
dAO AO says, WAIUiAS Vi Ills OWA oApC
rience, "Better is a dinner of herbs
where love is than stalled OK and ha-
tired Herewith"
How great are the responsibilities of
hOusekeepers. Sometimes an indigesti-
BILE article of food, by its effect upon a
commander or King, has defeated an
army or overthrown an empire. House
keepers, by the food they provide, by
the couches they spread, by the books
they introduce, by the influence they
bring around their home, are deciding
the physical, Intellectual, moral, eternal
destiny of the race. You say your life
is one of sacrifice I know it. But,
my sisters, that is the only life worth
living. That was Florence Nightin-
gales life; that was Payson's life; that
was Christ's life. We admire it in 9TH
ers, but how very hard it is for us to
cultivate it ourselves. When young
DIR. Hutchinson, having spent a whole
night in diphtheretic room for the re-
lief of the patient, became saturated
with the poison and died, we all felt as
if we would like to put garlands on his
grave. Everybody appreciated that.
When in the burning hotel at St. Louis
a young man on the fifth story broke
open the room where his mother was
sleeping, and plunged in amidst smoke
and fire, crying, Mother, where are
you ?" and never came out, our hearts
applauded that young man. But how
few of us have that Christ.like spirit
q willingness to suffer for others. A
rough teacher called upon a poor half
starved lad who had offended against
the laws of the school, and said: "Take
off your coat directly, SIR" The boy
refused to take it off, whereupon the
teacher again said: "Take it off, SIR"
as he swung his whip through the air.
The boy refused. It was not because
he was afraid of the lash-he was used
to that at home-but it was from shame
He had no undergarment, and as at the
the third command he pulled slowly off
his coat, there went a sob through the
school. They saw then why he did not
want to remove his coat, and they saw
the shoulder blades had almost cut
through the skin. And stout, healthy
boy rose up and went to the teacher of
the school and raid: 20, sir, please
don't hurt this poor fellow; whip me,
see he's nothing but poor chap, don't
said the teacher, "it's going to be a Sc
we're whipping. I am willing to take
you as substitute" "Well," said the
boy, II don't care, you whip me if you
will let this poor fellow go.'i This stout,
healthy boy took the scourging without
an outcry. bravo !" cries every man.
Bravo! How many of us are willing
to take the scourging and the suffering
and the toll and the anxiety for other
| people? A beautiful thing to admire,
but how little have we Of that spirit
God gives US that self-denying spirit, so
that whether we are in humble spheres
or in conspicuous spheres we may per-
form our whole duty-for this struggle
| will soon be over.
TALMAGE'S MOTHER.
One of the most affecting reminiscent
ces OF my mother is my remembran ce
of her as Christian housekeeper. She
worked very hard, and when we would
come in from summer play and sit
down at the table at noon I remember
how she used to come in with beads of
perspiration along the gray hair, and
how she would sometimes sit down at the
table and put her head against her
wrinkled hand and say: "WeIl, the fact
| is / am too tired to eat.O Long after she