Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-29
CHRISTIAN MOTHERHOOD.
THE LESSON TAUGHT BY THE
LIFE OF HANNAH.
Rev. DIR. Taimago breaches the Twelfth

Witt Talmage, ID. D., of Brooklyn,
preached in this city this morning, on his
way home from his Western trip, the
twelfth OF his series of sermons on ''The
Marriage Ring.D Its subject was "Moth-
erhood."
The eloquent preacher took for his text,
/ Samuel n:l9: ''Moreover mis- mother
made him little coat and brought It
to him IRON year TO year, when she
came up with her husband to offer the
yearly sacrifice"
The stories of Deborah and Abigail are
very apt to discourage a wolnan's SOUL
She says within herself, ''Is is impossible
that l ever can achieve any such grandeur
of character, and dOn't mean to try;"
as though a child should refuse TO play
the eight notes because he cannot exc
cute q civilian Tell" This Hannah of
the text differs from the persons | Just
now named. She was an ordinary woman,
with ordinary intellectual capacity,
placed in the ordinary circumstances,
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 herseli-un-
anu DAdlus uGNtA udNlHk iOuEnb
battle or been the subject of a marvel
Gus escape. Neither OF them would have
been called genius. just whatyou and
might be, that was Elkanah and Han
nah.
The brightest time in all the history Of
that family was the birth Of samuel. AL
though no star ran along the heavens
pointing down to his birthplace, think
the angels 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
Hannah, started up to Shiloh to offer sac
ritces of thanksgiving. The cradle where
the child slept was altar enough for Han
nah's greatful heart, but when the boy
was old enough she took him to Shiloh
and took three buliOcks and an ephah of
flour and a bottle of wine, and made offer
ing OF sacrifice unto the Lord, and there,
according to previous VOW, she left him,
for there he was to stay all the days of his
life aud minister in the Temple.
Years rolled on, and every year Han
nah 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 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 1t to
him from year to year, when she came up
with her husband to offer the yearly sac
rifice."
1. Hannah stands before you, then, in
the first place, as an industrious mother.
There was ne need for her 10 work. Elk
anah, her husband, was far from poor.
He belonged to distinguished family;
fknN NrsNIg hot
of Jeroo0am, the son Of ElihQ- the son of
John, theson OF ZHph. Nv no were they ?'
you say, do mot know, but they were
distinguished people, no doubt, or their
names would not have been mentioned.
Hannah might have seated herself with
her family, and, with folded arms and dis
heveled hair, read novels from year to
year, II there had been any to read; but
when / see her making that garment, and
taking it over to Samuel, / know she is
industrious from principle aswell 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 thimble-
mark on their finger attest 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 indus
try Of motherhood. But there is heath
enish idea getting abroad in some OF the
families Of Americans; there are mothers
who Danish themselves from the home cir
Gle. For three-fOurths of their maternal
duties they prove themselves inc0mpe-
tent. They are ignorant Of what their
children wear and what their children eat
and what their children read. They in
trust to irresponsible persona these young
immortals, and allow them to be under
influences which may cripple their bodies
or taint their purity or spoil their man
ners or destroy their souls.
From the awkward cut of Samnel's coat
you know that his mother, Hannah, did
not make n. Out from under flaming
chandeliers and of from imported car
pets and down the granite stairs there
has come a great crowd of children in
this day unframed, saucy, incompetent
for all practical duties Of life, ready TO be
caught in the first whirl Of crime and
sensuality. lndOlent and unfaithiul
mothers will make indOlent and unfaith-
ful children. YOu cannot expect neat
ness and order In any house where the
daughters see nothing but slatternliness
and Observation-Disclosures In their par
ents. Let Hannah be idle, and most GER
tainly Samuel will grow up idle.
Who are the Industrious men IN all our
occupations and pr0fessiOnsP VINO are
they managing the merchandise Of the
world, building the walls, timing the
roofs, weaving the carpets, making the
laws, governing the nation, making the
earth TO quake, and heaye, and roar, and
rattle with the tread Of gigantic enter
prises? 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 staIwart men and
the influential women OF this day, ninety
nine out OF a hundred of them, came from
such an ilustrious ancestry OF hard
knuckles and homespun.
Aud who are these people in society,
light as frOth, blown every whittier OF
temptation and iashion--the pedders of
filthy stories, the dancing-jaeks Of pOliti-
cal parties, the scum Of society, the
tavern-lOunglng, the store-infesting, the
men OF low wink, and filthy chuckle, aud
brass breastpins, and rotten associations?
For the most part, they came from
mothers idle and disgusting-the scandal
m0ngers OF society, going from house 20
house, attending 70 eyerybody's busi-
ness but their own, believing in
witches, ana ghosts, and h0rsesboes 20
keep the devil out OF the cburn, and by
goddess life aettinR their children on the
very verge Of bell. The mothers Of Samuel
johnson. and Of Alfred the Great, aud OF