Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-06-29
A Sermon BY the Rev. T. DsWitt
TaImags, D. D.
ADDRESSED TO THE EAR OF MOTHERS
Their imperative Duty Toward Their
ChiIdren---A Model.
Mother.
TIE MIGHTINEss OF MOTHERHOOD.
Subject: "a first rate mother. =

it to him from year to year, when she came
up with her husband to offer the yearly
sacrifice"
! The story Of Deborah and Abigail is very
apt to discourage a woman's soul. She
says within herself: ut is impossible that
can ever achieve any such grandeur of char,
acter, and | don't mean to try" As though
a child should refuse to play the eight notes
because he cannot execute q William
Tell" This
Of the text differs from the persons Just
now named. She was an ordinary woman,
with ordinary intellectual capacity, placed
in ordinary circumstances, and yet, By ex-
traordinary piety standing oui before all the
ages to come, the model christian mother.
Hannah was the wife Of Elkanah who was
person very much like herself-unroman-
tic and plain, never having fought q
battle or been the subject Of marvellous
escape Neither OF them would have been
called genius. Just what you and might
be, that was Elkanah and Hannah. The
brightest time in all the history of that
family, was the birth Of Samuel. Although
10 star ran through the heavens pointing
down TO his birthplace, think the angels OF
God stopped at the coming Of so wonderful
a prophet AS Samuel had been given in
answer to prayer, Elkanah and all his family,
save Hannah started up to Shiloh to offer
sacrifices Of thanksgiving. The cradle
where the chip slept was altar enough for
Hannah's grateful heart; but when the boy
was Old enough she took him to Shiloh, and
took three bullocks and an ephah Of flour
and bottle OF wine, and made offering Of
sacrifice unto the Lord, and there, accord
ing to previous VOW, she left him; for there
he was to stay all the days Of his lite and
minister in the temple. Years rolled OF,
and every year Hannah made with her own
hapd garment for Samuel and took il
over TO him. The lad would have got along
well without that garment for suppose ne
was well clad by the ministry Of the temple;
| but Hannah could not be contented unless
she was all the time doing something for
her darling boy. Moreover, his mother
made him little coat and brought it to him
from ear to year, when she came with her
husband 10 offer yearly sacrifice"
| Hannah stands before us then in the first
place as
| An Industrious Mother.
There was no need for her to work. FL.
:, ka7ah, her husband, was far from poor. He
I he'0-ged 20 q distinguished family; for tho
| ham, the son Of EiinU, TIE son l Ud.;
son OF Luph. Who were they you say.
do no; know but they were distinguished
| people no doubt, or their names would moi
have been mentioned. Hannah might have
seated herselfin her family, and with folded
| arms and dishevelled hair read novels from
year to year. If there had been any to read;
| but WREN see her making that garment
| and taking it over to Samuel, | know she
| is industrious from principle as well Gs from
pleasure God would not have mother be-
| come drudge or a slave He would have
her employ all the helps possible in this day
| in the rearing OF her children. But Hannah
ought never TO be ashamed to be found
| making a coat for Samuel. Most mothers
need no counsel in this direction. The
wrinkles on their brow, the pallor on their
| cheek, the thimblc mark on their finger at.
test that they are faithful in their maternal
| duties The bloom and the brightness and
the vivacity Of girlhood have given place for
The Grander Dignity
and usefulness and industry Of motherhood
| But there is heathenish idea getting
abroad in some of the families of Ameri.
cans; there are mothers who Danish them
selves from the home circle. For three
fourths of their maternal duties they prove
themselves incompetent. They are iguor.
ant OF what their children wear and what
their children eat and what their chill
dren read. They entrust to irresponsible
persons these young immortals and allow
hem to be under influences which may
| cripple their bodies or taiut their purity or
| spoil their manners or destroy their souls.
| From the awkward cut OF Samuels coat
| you know his mother Hannah did not make
1t. Out from under flaming chandeliers
and oil from imported carpets and down the
| granite stairs there is come a great
crowd of children in this day, unframed,
-auCy, incompetent for all practical duties
Of life, ready to he caught in the first whirl
| Of crime ana sensuality.
| IndOlent and tntalthtu mOthers
| will make indolent and unfaithful children.
| You cannot expect neatneSs and order N
any house where the daughters see nothing
but slatteruness and upside downativenesS
| in their parents. Let Hannah be idle and
most certainly Samuel will grow up idle.
| Who are the industrious men in all
our occupations and professions? Who
are they managing the merchandise OF the
world, building the walls, timing the roofs,
weaving the carpets, making the laws, gov
erning the nations, making the earth to
quake and heave and roar and rattle with
| the tread OF gigantic enterprises? Who are
they? For the most part they descended
| from industrious mothers, who in the old
homestead used to spin their own yarn and
weave their own carpets and plat their own
door.mats and flag their own chairs and do
their own work. The stslwart men and
the Influential women of this day, ninety
nine out of hundred of them came from
such an illustrious
| Ance ,try of Hard KnuclSles and HomeSpnn
| And who are these people in society, light
as froth blown every whittier Of temptation
and fashion-the pedlers Of filthy stories,
the dancing Jacks OF political parties, the
scum of society the tavern.lounging, the
store infesting the men Of low wink and
filthy chuckle and brass breast pin and
rotten associations? For the most
part they come from mothers idle
and disgusting-the scandal mongers OF so
ciety. going from house to house attending
10 everyboiy's business but their own; be-
levug in witches and ghosts and horse
shoes 10 kesp the devil out o. the churn aad
BY Goddess lie setting their cAild'ea on
the very verge of hell. The ulo'heT3 Of
Sar uel Johnson ard OF Alfred the Great:
and OF Isaac Newton and of Saint Augustine
aud Of Richard Cecil and Of President Ell.
val ds for the most part were industrious,
ha.i.workiDg mothers. Now, while con
graduate all Christian mothers upon the
wealth and the modern science which may
afford them all kinds Of kelp let me say
that every mother ought 20 be obsergant OF
her cbildren's walk her childrens behavior
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