Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-09-06

cupy that place at the table, saying t
David in the words of my text: Thou
shalt be missed, because thy seat will b
empty"
The prediction was fulfilled. David wa
missed His seat was empty. That on
vacant chair spoke louder than all the Oc
cupied chairs at the banquet. In almOs
every house the articles of furniture take
living personality. The picture-a strange
would not see anything remarkable cithc
in its design or execution, but it is more t.
YOU than all the pictures of the LOuvr
and the Luxembourg. You remembe
who bought it and admired it. And tha
hymn-bOok-yOu remember who sang on
of it.
AND THAT CRADLE
You remember who rocked it. And tina
Bible-you remember who read out of it
And that bed-yOu remember who slept il
it. And that rOOm-you remember who
died in it. But there is nothing in al
your hOuIse 50 eloquent and so mighty
voiced as the vacant chair. ISuppOSc that
before Saul and his guests got up from this
banquet there was Il great Clatter OF wine
pitchers, but all that racket was drowned
out by the voice that came up from the
vacant chair at the table Many have gazetI
and wept at John Quincy Adams vacant
chair in the House of Representatives, and
at Mr.. Wilson's vacant chair in the Vice.
Presidency, and at Henry Clay's vacant
chair in the American Senate, and at Prince
Albert's vacant chair in Windsor Castle,
and ut ThierS vacant chair in the councils
of the French nation; but all these chairs
are unimpOrtant to you compared with
the vacant chairs in your own household.
Have these chairs any lessons for you to
learn? Are we any better men and w0-
men than when they first addressed us,
!. First: point out to you
THE FATHERS VACANT CHAIR.
Old men always like 10 sit in the same
place and in the same chair. They some
how feel more ut home, and sometimes
when you are in their place and they come
into the room, you jump up suddenly and
say: Here, father, here's your chair.
The probability is it is an arm chair, for
he is not so strong rs he once was, and he
needs Il little uphOlding. His hair is Il
little frosty, his gums little depressed,
for in his caIly days there was not much
dentistry. Perhaps a cane chair and old
fashioned apparel, for though you may
have suggested some improvement, father
does not want any Of your nonsense.
Grandfather never had much admiration
for ncw-langlcd notions. ! sat at the table
of one of my parShionerS in former CON
gregatOn; an aged man WAS 1T the table
and his son was presiding, and the father
somewhat abruptly addressed the son and
said: "My son, don't now try to show of
because the minister Is here Your
father never liked any new customs or
manners; he preferred the old way of doing
things, and he never looked so happy as
when with his eyes closed he sat in the
arm chair in the corner. From wrinkled
brow to the tip of his slippers, what pla-
cidty? The wave OF the past years OF his
life broke at the foot of that chair. Per
hapS sometimes, he was little impa-
tieut, and sometimes told the same story
twice, but
OVER THAT OLD CHAIR
how many blessed memories hover. |
hope you did not crowd that old CHAIR, and
that it did not get very much in the way.
Sometimes the old mans chair gets very
much in the way, especially if he has been
50 unwiSe rs to make over all his property
to his children with the understanding that
they are to take care of him. | have seen
in such cases children crowd the old man 5
chair to the door, and then crowd it clear
into the street, and then crowd it into the
poor house, and keep on Crowding If until
the old man fell out of it into his grave.
But your fathers chair was sacred
place The children used 10 climb up on
the rungs of il for goodnight kiss, and
the longer he stayed the better YOU liked
it. But that chair has been vacant now for
some time The furniture dealer would
not give you fifty cents for it, but 1t is
throne of influence in your domestic circle.
saw in the French palace and in the
throne room, the chair that
NAPOLEON USED To OCCUPY.
1t was a beautiful chair, but the most sig
nificant part of ii was the letter 'N." en-
broidered into the back Of the chair in
purple and gold And your fathers old
chair sits in the throne room of your heart,
and your affections have embroidered into
the back of that chair in purple and gold
the letter "F" Have all the prayers OF
that old chair been answered? Have all
the cOunsels of that old chair been prac-
ticed? Speak out, old armchair! History
tells us of an old MIN whose three sons
were victors in the Olympic games, and
when they came back, these three sons,
with their garlands, and put them on their
fathers brow, the old man was 80 rejoiced
at the victories Of his three children that
he fell dead in their arms And are you,
o man, going to bring a wreath of JOY and
Christian usefulness and put it on 10 your
fathers brow, or on the vacant chair, or on
the memory Of the one departed: Speak
out, old armchair. With reference to
your father, the words of my text have
been fulfilled: Thou shalt he missed, be
cause thy seat will be empty
ii. go little further on in your house,
and fnd
THE MOTHERS CHAIR.
1t is very apt to be rocking chair. She
had 50 many cares and troubles to sOOtht
that it must have rockers. l remember il
well. 1t was an old chair. and the rock
ers were almost worn out, for | was th'
youngest, and the chair had rocked the
whole family. 1t made a creaking nois'
As it moved; but there was music in tht
sound. 1t was just high enough to allow
US children to put our heads into her lap
That was the bank where We deposited al
our hurts and worries. Oh, what chail
that was? 1t was different from th'
fathers chair; it was entirely different
You ask me how? l cannot tell; but vi
all felt it was different. Perhaps Their
was about this chair more gentleness
more tenderness, more grief when we hat
done wrong. When We were waywar'