Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-03-04
The DUTIES OF WIVES
The Seventh Sermon of DIR. Tai
IMAGES "Marriage Ring"
Series.


series OF sermons on The Marriage Ring the
mbject being Duties Of Wives TO Husbands"
Before the sermon he read and expounded the
lAst chapter of Proverbs, descriptive Of pru-
dent and sensible wife. The text was L Samuel
NV, 8: SThe name of his wife, Abigail; and
she was woman of good understanding, and
ora beautiful countenance." Following is the
sermon:
The ground in Carmel is white, not with
fsllen snow, but the wool from the backs Of
1000 sheep, for they are being shcared AndI
hear the grinding Of the iron blades together,
snd the blesting of-the focks, held between
the knees Of the shearers while the clipping
goes on, and the rustic laughter of the work
mem Nabal and his wife Abigail preside over
this homestead David, the WARRIOR sends a
delegation to apply for aid at this prosperous
time of strengthening, and Nabal perempto-
rily declines his request Revenge is the cry
Yonder over the rocks come David and 400 an
cry men with one stroke to demolish Nabal
and his sheepfol Is and vineyards. The regi-
ment march in double-quick, and the stones of
the mountain loo'en and roll dJwn as the
soldiers strike them with their swift feet, and
the cry of the commander is Forward For
ward!"
Abigail, to save her husband and his prop
erty, hastens to the foot of the hill She is
armed, not with sword or spear, but with her
own beauty and elf-sacrlfice, and when David
sees her kneeling at the base of the crag, he
cries: @Hold! Hold" Abigail is the con-
queressl One woman in the right mightier than
400 men in the wrong! A hurricane stopped
at the sight of water lily! A dewdrop
dashed back Niagara! By her prowess and tact
home, and put before all ages an illustrious
Bpecimen of what wife can do if she be godly
md prudent and elf-sacrifcing and vigilant
and devoted to the interests of her husband,
and attractive.
As, Sabbath before last, took the RESPONSE
bility of telling husbands how they ought to
treat their wiyes,- and, though noticed some
of them squirmed little in their pews, they
endured it vel, II now take the responsibility
Of telling how wives ought to treat their hus-
bands. hope your domestic alliance was 80
happily formed that while married life may
have revealed in him some frailties that you
did not suspect, it has also displayed excelen-
cies that more than overbalanced them. /
suppose that if could look into the hearts Of
. hundred wives here present, and ask them
where ia the kindest and best maa they know
q, and they dared tospeak out, ninety mine out
M hundred of them would say: Sat the other
end of this pew" Though sometime you may
have snapped each other up little quick,
think the most of you are as well paired as a
couple of whom have read The wife said
TO her husband: u have made up my mind to
be submissive notwithstanding all tho mis-
fortunes that have come upon us" They had
lost their children he had lost his health, and
hence the income Of his profession, and the
wife had temporarily lost her eyesight sYes,"
said the husband, I'VE ought to be submissive
Let me see what we have to submit to. First
Ne have home; we can submit to that Then
We have each other; we can submit to that Then
We have food and raiment; we can submit to
that. Then we have great many friends; we can
gubmit to that We have q heavenly Father to
provide for us" GStop! Stopl" said the
wife, II will talk no more about submission"
hope, my sister, you have married a man
as Christian and as well balanced as that But
even il you were worsted in the conjugal bar
aain, you cannot be worse off than this Abigail
I
Sfateful, an inebriate, for on the very evening
Nter her heroic achievement at the foot Of the
hill, where she captured whole regiment with
genial and strategic behavior she returned
home and found her husband SO drunk that she
could not tell him the story, but had to post
pone it until the next day. So, my sister, do
not want You to keep saying within yourself as
Eproceed, @That is the way to treat perfect
husband, = for you are to remember that no
wife was ever worse swindled than this Abigail
81 my text At the other end of her table sat q
&Aan, selfish, snarling, contemplate sol, and
feShe could do SO well for bastard, how
Snght you to do with that princely and splen-
Hidma with whom you are to walk the path Of
life?
First, Icounsel the wife to remember in what
esevere and terrific battle of life her husband
Aengaged Whether in professional, or COM
Hpercial, or artistic, or mechanical life your
husband from morning to night is in Solfer-
ino, If not Sedan. II is wonder that your
husband has any nerves or patience or suavity
left To get living in this, next to the last
decade Of the nineteenth century, is o struggle
II he come home and sit down preoccupied
sou ought to excuse him; If be do not feel like
toing out that night for walk or entertain
Gdent remember he has beon out all day. You
eay he ought to leaveat biz place Of business his
Annoyances and come home CHEEKY. But il
man has been betrayed BY q business partner,
or customer has jockeyed him out Of large
bill OF goods, or protested note has been
dung on his desk, or somebody has called him
g liar and everything has gone wrong from
morning 70 night ne must have great genius
And forgetfulness II he do mot bring some Of
fhe perpleFity home with him. When you tell
me ne ought TO leave It all at thestore, or bank,