St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-29
TIE MODEL MOTHER.
DR.. Talmage breaches an Eloquent Ser
mon to the Good People of St. Louis
Upon Motherhood.
Plain, Unromantio Hannah, the Wife Of
Elkanah, the Model Mother Of
Ancient Times.
Her Example OF Industry, Intelli-
gence and Christianity Worthy
To be Followed To-day.
The True Mothers Reward Found in
Seeing Her Children Followers
of Jesus Christ.
DIR. TaImare,s sermon.

Special 10 the Globe.
ST. Louis, March 2s.-Rev. T. Dewitt
Talmage, ID. d., of Brooklyn, preached in
this city this morning on his way home
from his Western trip, the twelfth of his
sermons on The Marriage Ring. The elO-
Quent preacher took for his text, l Samuel,
H., xix: Moreover his mother made him
n little coat and brought it to him from year
10 year, when she came up with her hus-
band to offer the yearly sacrifice" The
stories of Deborah and Abigail are very apt
to discourage wOman's soul. She says
within herself, lit is impossible that L ever
can achieve any such grandeur of character,
and don't mean 20 try" as though child
should refuse TO play the eight notes be-
cause he cannot execute civilian Tell"
This Hannah of the text differs from the
persons l just now named. She was an
ordinary woman, with ordinary intellectual
capacity, placed in the ordinary circum-
stances. and yet, by extraordinary piety,
standing out before all the ages to come.
the model Christian mother. Hannah was
the wife OF Elkanah, who was person very
much like heTSelf-unTOmantic and plain
never having fought battle or been the
subject OF marvellous escape. Neither of
them would have been called a genius.
just what you and might be, that was FL
kanah and Hannah.
THE BRIGHTEST TIME
in all the history of that family was the
birth of Samuel. Although no star ran
along the heavens pointing down to his
birthplace, L think the angel OF God stopped
at the coming of so wonderful prophet
As Samuel had been given in answer to
prayer, Elkanah and all his family, save
4,
fees of thanksgiving. The cradle whele
the child slept was altar enough for Han
nah'S grateful heart, but when the boy
was old enough she took him to Shiloh.
and took three bullOcks and an ephah of
-four and bottle of wine, and made offer
ing of sacrifice unto the Lord, and there,
according to a previous VOW. she left him.
for there he was to stay all the days of his
life and minister in the temple. Years
rolled on, and every year Hannah made
with her own hand a garment for Samuel
and took it over to him. The lad would
have got along well without that garment
for / suppose he was Well clad by the min
istry 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 a little
coat, and brought it TO him from year to
year. when she came up with her husband
to offer the yearly sacrifice" Hannah
stands before you, then. in the first place,
as an industrious mother. There was no
need for her to work. Elkanah, her hus-
band. was far from poor. He belonged to
A DISTINGUISHED FAMILY,
for the Bible tells us that he was the son
of JerObOam, the son of Elihu, the son of
John, the son of Zuph. "Who were they?"
you say. l do not know; but they were dis
tinguished people no doubt or their names
would not have been mentioned. Hannah
might have seated herself with her family.
and. with folded arms and disheveled hair,
read novels from year to year, if there had
been any TO read; but when see her MAX
ing that argument and taking it over to
Samuel / know she is industrious from
principle as well as from pleasure. God
would not have a mother become a 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 thin
ble-mark on their finger attest that they
are faithful in their maternal duties. The
bloom, and the brightness, and the vivacity
dignity and usefulness. and industry of
motherhood. But there is a heathenish
idea getting abroad in some Of the families
of Americans; there are mothers who BAN
ish themselves from the home circle. For
three-fOurths of their maternal duties they
prove themselves incompetent.
WHO ARE THEY?
For the most part they descended from
industrious mothers who, in the old home
stead, 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 stalwart men
and the influential women of this day,
ninety-nine out of hundred of them, came
from such an illustrious ancestry of hard
knuckles and homespun. And who are
these people in society. light as froth, blown
every whittier of temptation and fashion,
the peddlerS of filthy stories. the dancing
jacks of political parties. the scum of so
ciety, the tavern-lOunging. the stOre-infest-
ing. the men of low wink and filthy chuckle
and brass breaStpins, and rotten asSoc.a-
tons? For the most part they come from
mothers idle and diSgusting-the scandal
mOngers of society, going from house to
house, attending TO eyerybOdy's business
but their own. believing in witches. and
ghosts. and hOrseshOes to keep the devil out
of the ehurn, and by goddess life setting
their children on the very verge of hell.
The mothers of Samuel johnson. and of
Alfred the Great, and of Isaac Newton,
and of St. Augustine. and of Richard Cecil,
and of President Edwards. for the most
part, were industrious. Woodworking moth
ers. Now, while l congratulate all Chris
tan mothers upon the wealth and the
modern science which may afford them all
kinds of help, let me say that every mother
ought to be Observant of her chldren'S
walk, her children's behavior, her children's
food.
HER CHILDREN's LOOKS,
her children's .cOmpanionShips. However
much help Hannah may have, think she
ought every year. at least. make one gar
ment for Samuel. The Lord have mercy
on a man who is so unfortunate as to have
had lazy motherl Again. Hannah stands
before you as an intelligent mother. From
the way in which she talked in this chap
ter. and from the way she managed this
boy. you know she was intelligent. There
are no persons in community who need
TO be SO wise and well-infOrmed as mothers.
OH this work of culture in children for
this world and the next! This child is
timid. and it must be reused up and pushed
out into activity. This child is forward.
and he must be held back and tanned down
into mOdeSty and pOliteness. Rewards for
one. punishment Tor another. That which
will make George will ruin John. The rod
Is necessary in one 'aSe, while frown of
diSpeasure is more than enough in another
Whipping and dark closet do not exhaust
all the rounds of domestic discipline. There
have been children who have grown up and
gone 10 glory without ever having had their
ears boxed. Oh! how much care and in
telligence are necessary in the rearing of
childrenl But in this day, when there are