The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-08-11
Nltscellanen1ts.
REV. I, DEWITT TALMAGE.
HOME AND THE TRIALS OF THE
HOUSEKEEPER.
BncOmpassed From Every Side with Fears And
DOubts-And Tired and Worn With DEudgery
and Constant Care,
"HoUsEKERPING."

Text-Luke l0:40 "Lord Carest thou
not that my sister hath left me to serve
RloneP Bid her, therefore, that she help
me-"
You ask why more sermons are
preached to men than to women. reply
il ia because women are better than men,
| do not say this in compliment or in
spirit of soft gallantry, for when women
are bad they are dreadful but as statis-
tiCal fact which cannot be Controverted,
they have lever temptations to outbreak
ing sin; are naturally more reverential
and loving; it is easier for them to be.
come Christians; they are in the major
ity in the church ou earth, and suppose
if you should count he women and chill
dlen Of heaven, you would have counted
three-fOurths of its population. 1t is be
ca Sc men are more need of being
preached TO Uhat l have given them the
majority of sermons. But see yonder a
beautiful village homestead. The man
of this house is dead, and his widow is
taking charge of The premises. Come,
let ms introduce you; this s the widow
Martha of Bethany. Yes, l will intro
duce you also to the pet of the house.
hold. This is Mary, the younger sister,
with book under her arm, and her face
having no appearance Of anxiety or per-
turbation. Company has come. Christ
stands outside the door, and, of course,
there is a good deal of excitement inside
the door. The disarranged furniture is
hastily put aside, end the hair brushed
back, and the dresses are adjusted as
well as in 80 short time Mary and Mar.
tina can attend to these matters. They
did not keep Christ waiting at the door
until they were newly appareied, or un-
til they had elaborately arranged their
tresses, then coming out with their af.
feCted surprise, as though they had not
heard the two or three previous knock.
ings, saying: "Why, is that you?" No.
They were ladies', and were always pre-.
sentable, although they may not always
had on their best; if we did, our best
would not be worth having on. They
throw open the door and greet Christ.
They say "Good morning, master; come
in and be seated" Christ did not come
alone; he had group Of friends with
him, and such an influx Of city visitors
would throw any country home into per.
turbation. I suppose, also, the walk
from the city had been good appetizer
The kitchen department that day was a
very important department, and l sup
pose Martha had no sooner greeted the
guests than she fed to that room. Mary
had no anxiety about household affairs;
she had full confidence that Martha cod
get up the best dinner in Bethany. She
seems 70 say: Now let us have a divi-
10 of labor Martha you cook, I'll sit
down and be gcod." So you have often
seen great difference between two sis
ters. There is Martha, hard. working,
pains taking, a good manager, ever in.
Ventive Of some new pastry, or discover.
ing something in the art of cooking and
housekeeping. There is Mary also, fond
of conversation, literary, 80 engaged in
deep questions of ethics she has no time
to attend to the Que stions of household
welfare, 1t is noor Mary is in the par.
lor with Christ; Martha is in the kitchen
1t would have been better had they di
Vided the work, ana then they would
have divided the opportunity of listen
ilg to Christ. But Mary monopolizes
Jesus, while Martha sWelters at the fire.
1t was very important they should have
good dinner that day. Christ was hum
cry, and he did not often have luylri. |
GUS entertainment. Alas, me! If the !
duty had devolved upon Mary what a re.
past that would have been But some
thing went wrong in the kitchen; per
haps the fire did not burn, or the Dr, ad |
would not bake, or Martha sCalded her |
hand, or something was burned black |
that should have been made brown; and !
Martha lost her patience, and forgetting |
the prOprieties Of the occasion, with be. |
sweated brow, and perhaps pitcher in
one hand and tongs in the other, she
rushed out of the Kitchen into the pres
enCe of Christ, saying, Lord, dost thou
not care that my sister hath left me to
serve aione?" Christ sColded not word.
If it were sColding l would rather have
his scolding than any body else's blessing.
There was nothing acerb. He knew
Martha had almost worked herself to
death to get him something to eat, and
30 he throws word of tenderness into
his information as he seems to say: "My
dear woman, do not worry; let the din
ner go; sit down on the ottoman beside
Mary, your younger sister. Martha, Mar.
tina, thou art careful and troubled about
many things; but one thing is needful."
AS Martha throws open that kitchen
door look III and see a great many
household perplexities and anxieUies.
First, there is the trial of noI-apprecia
ton. That is what made Martha 30 mad
with Mary. The younger sister had no
estimate of her older sisters fatlgues
AS now, men bother with the anxieties
Of the store, and Office and shop, or,
coming from the Stock Exchange, they
say when they get home: oh, you ought
to ne over in Wall street these days; you
ought to be in our factory little while;
you ought to manage eight, len or TWEEN.
ty subordinates, then you would know
what trouble and anxiety are." o, sir,
The wife and the mother has to conduct
at the same time university, a clothing
establishment, a restaurant, a laundry, a
library, while she is health officer, DO
lice and president of the realm. She
must do thousand things, and do them
we'll in order to keep things running
smoothly, and 80 her brain and her
nerves are taxed TO the utmost. l know
ihore are housekeepers who are so fortu.
1a 9 that they can sit in an armchair in
The library, or lie on the belated pillow
and throw off all the care upon suDord.
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