The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-17

overpersuaded by her husband. may 60 once to
hear such TRADE against the Christian religion,
not fully knowing what she is going to hear: but
she will not go twice, A woman not a Christian,
but respecter of religion, said to me: II was
persuaded by my husband to go and hear an in
fidel lecturer once, but going home, said to
him: My dear husband. would not 60 again
| though my declination should result in our di-
vorcement forever" And the woman was right
If, after all that Christ and Christianity have
done for a woman, she can go again and
again to hear such assaults. she is an
awful creature and you had better not
come near such reeking lepress. She needs to
be washed and for three weeks to be soaked in
carbolic acid and for whole year fumigated
before she is fit for decent society. While it is
not demanded that a woman be Christian be-
fore marriage, she must have regard for the
Christian religion or she is a bad woman and I'M
worthy OF being your companion in life
charged with such stupendous solemnity and
vicissitudes.
What you want, o man! in wife, is not q but
terfy of the sunshine, not a gigghng nonentity,
not a painted doll. not gossiping gad-about, not
a mixture of artifcialities which leave you in
doubt as to where the humbug ends and the
woman begins, but an earnest SOUL one that
can not only laugh when you laugh,
but weep when you weep. There will
be wide. deep graves in your path
Of life and you will both want steadying when
your fortune fails you will want someone to talk
of treasures in heaven, and not charge upon you
with bitter. II told you So" AS far as can
analYze 1T, sincerity and earnestness are the
foundation of all worthy wifehood Get that
and you get all. Fail to get that and you get
nothing but what you will wish you never had got.
Don't make the mistake that man Of the text
made in letting his eye settle the question in
which coolest judgment, directed by divine WIS
dom, is all Important He who has
M fnw &c ;folx rhnsoo
face, is like man who should buy
farm because of the dahlias in the front
door-yard. Beauty is talent and when God
gives 1t He intends it as a benediction upon
Wales dismounted from the rail-train last sum
mer, and saw her radiant face, could under
stand what they told me the day before that,
when at the great military hospital where are
now the wounded and the sick from the Egyptian
and other wars. the Princess passed through. all
the sick were cheered at her coming, and those
who could be reused neither by doctor nor nurse
from their stupor, would get up on their elbows
to look at her, and wan and wasted lips prayed
an audible prayer: "God bless the Princess of
Wales! Doesn't she look beautifull"
But how uncertain Is the tarrying of beauty
IN the human countenance. Explosion of q kero-
sene lamp turns it into scarifcation, and
scoundrel with one dash of vitriol may dispel it,
or time will drive his chariot wheels across that
bright face, cutting it up in deep ruts and guies
But there is an eternal beauty on the face of
some women whom rough and ungallant world
may criticise as homely, and though their feat
ures may contradict all the laws of Lavater on
physiognomy, yet they have the graces of soul
that will keep them attractive for time and
glorious through all eternity.
There are two three circumstances in which
the plainest wife is queen of beauty to her hus-
band, whatever her stature and profile By
the man goes down, and returning to his home
that evening he saws: Il am ruined; am in dis
grace forever; care not whether live or die"
1t is an agtated story he is telling in the house
ture must CO. the house must go, the social posi-
ton must CO." and from being sought for obse
quiously they must be cold-shouldered every
whore. After he ceases talking and the wife
has heard all in silence. she says: us
that ali9 Why, you had nothing when I
married you and you have only come back to
where you started. If you think that my hap
piness and that Of the children depend on these
trappings You do not know me. God is not dead,
and tins national bank of heaven has not sus-
pended payment; and if you don't mind don't
care a cent. What little we need of food and
raiment the rest of our lives we can get, and
don't propose to sit down, and NOPE, and groan.
Mary hand me that darning. needle. And, John,
light one of the other gas burners And Jimmy,
open the register for little more heat Fanny,
fetch your fathers slippers. I declared have
forgotten to set the rising for those cakes! And
while she is busy at it he hears her humming
1T can bring with it nothing
But He will bear through;
Who gives the lilies clothing
Will clothe His people too;
Beneath the spreading heavens
No creature but is fed;
And He who feeds the ravens
Will give His children bread.
'"Though vine nor fg-tree either
Their wonted fruit should bear,
Though all the fields should wther
Nor focks herds be there;
Yet God the same abiding
His praise shall tune my voice;
For while in Him cOnfding
cannot but rejoice"
The husband looks up in amazement, and
says: "Well, WE'LL you are the greatest woman
l ever saw. l thought You would faint dead
away when told YOU" And as he looks at her,
all the glories of physiognomy in the court of
Louis XIV or the modern fashion plates are tame
as compared with the superhuman splendors of
that woman's face. Joan Of Arc, Marie Antio-
nette and La Belle Hamilton, the enchantment
of the court of Charles II, are nowhere
There is another time when the plainest wife
is queen of beauty to her husband. She has
done the work of life. She has reared her
children for God and heaven, and,
though some of them may be a little
wild, they will yet come back for God
has promised. She is dying and her husband
stands by. They think over all the years of
! their companIonship, the weddings and the bur-
ials, the ups and downs, the successes and fail
ures. They talk over the goodness of God and
His faithfulness to children's children. She has
no fear about going The Lord has sustained
her SO many years she would not dare to dis
trust Him now The lips Of both of them trem-
BILE as they say goodbye and encourage each
other abont an early meeting in better
world. The breath is feebler and
feebler, and stops. Are you sure
of itl just hold that mirror
at the mouth and see if there is any vapor gather
ing on the surface. Gone! AS one of the neigh
bors takes the old man by the arm gently and
says: Come you had better go into the next
room and retire, he says, "Wait a moment
must take one more look at that face and at those
hands" Beautiful Beautiful
My friends, l hope you do not call that death.
That is an autumnal sunset That is crystal
line river pouring into crystal sea. That is the
solo Of human life overpowered by the hallelujah
chorus That is the queens coronation. That
is heaven. That is the way my father stood, at
eighty-two. seeing my mother depart at seventy