The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1882-07-30
WEEKLY Elko INDEPENDENT.
sssaay. JoIy ~. 1852.


4 MoAArn DOrmOa.
Brethren. the words Of my text are
Old Mother Hubbard, went to the cupboard.
But when she 20 there the cupboard was bare,
And 80 the poor dog had none.
These beautiful words, dear friends,
carry with them . solemn lesson.
Iproposs this evening to analze their
meaning. and attsmptto apply it. lofty
~ IL may be, to our every day life.
Old Mother Hubbard went 10 the cupboard.
To get her poor dog a bone,
Mother Hubbard. Jon sec. was old /:
there being 10 mention Of Others, wo
may presume shs was alone. q widow
. fnendlsss. old. solitary widow.
Yet. sue did not despair Did she
cit down and weep, OF road q novel, or
wiring her hnnds7 No; "she went to
the cupboard" And hero observe she
Vsat TO the cupboard. She did not hop,
or skip. or jump. or use any other peri
Patetio artihos; she solely and merely
went to the cupboard.
We have seen that she waE old and
lonely. aud We now further see that she
was poor. For mark, the words ore
'he cupboard"
Not ION OF the cupboards," OF the
"right-band Cupboard" VI the cleft
hand cupboard" or tho one above, or
the one below, or the one und,r
the stair, but just the cupboard.
The one little humble cupboard that
the poor woman possessed. Aud why
did she 60 to the ~cupbonrda Was it 10
bring forth the golden goblets, or gilt
tering precious stones. or costly apparel.
or feasts, or any other attributes Of
Wealth. It was to get her poor dog a
bone! Not only was tho widow poor,
but her dog. the sole prop Of her age,
was poor, too.
We can imagine the scene. The poor
dug orouching. crouching in tho corner
looking ~wistfulIy at the solitary cup
board. and the widow going to that cup
board-in hope, in expectation, maybe
to open it, although wo are not dis
tinctly told that it wal not half open, or
ajar. to open it for that poor dog.
But when she got there the cupboard was bare.
Andthe poor dog had none.
When she got there !" You see,
dear brethren what perseverance, is.
You see the beauty Of persistence in
doing right. She got there.
There are no turnings and twistingr,
no slippings and slidings, no leaning to
the right or faltering to the left.
With glorious simplicity We are told
Ihe got there.
But how was her noble effort re-
wArded 2
"Tho cupboard was bare I" It was
bare There were not to be found
either oranges, nor cheesscakes, nor
penny buns, nor crackers. nor nuts, nor
ginger bread. nor lucifsr matches.
The cupboard was bare!
There was but one. only one solitary
cupboard In thsvholo Of that cottage and
that n the sole hope Of the widow. tho
glorious loadStar Of the poor dog was
barrel Had there been a log OF mutton,
. loin Of lamb, o fllst Of veal, eyen an
ice from Guntsr's, the case would have
besn different. tho incident would have
been otherwise.
Many Of you will probably say, with
all the pride Of worldly sophistry; "The
widow, no doubt, went out and pur-
chased q dog biscuit"
Alb, no. Far removed from these
earthly ideas. these mundane desires,
poor Mother Hubbard, tho widow, whom
thoughtlsSs worldlings would despise.
in that sho only owned one cupboard,
percsived-or I might even say saw-at
once tho relentless logic OF tho situation
and yielded to it with all tho horoism
OF that nature which had enabled her
without deviation to roach that barren
cupboard.
She did not attempt. like the stiff
necksd scofrers OF this generation, to
war against the inevitable; she did not
try, like the so-oalled men OF science,
to explain that which she did not I'M
deratand.
She did nothing. "The poor dog had
nonoi" And then at this point our in
formation ceases.
But do We not know enough? Are we
not cognizant Of enough7
Who would dare TO pierce the veil
that shrouds tho u~ltorior fate Of Old
Mother Hubbard, tho poor dog, tho
cupboard, or the bouo that was not
theTs2
Must Ws imagine her still standing at
tho open cupboard do~or-depict to our
selves ths dog still dropping bis dis
appointed tail upon the floor - the
sougbt-for bone still remaining sons-
where else.
Ahi no. my dear brethren wo arc not
80 permitted to attempt TO rend the flu
turs. Suffice IL for Us to gain from this
beautiful story It's many lessons: suffice
Il for US 10 apply them, TO study them as
far ~ In as lies.
UN a Practical Deacon.