The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-04
TIE MOTHER OF A PROPHET.
che Lesson Taught by the Story Of Han
nah, the Prophet Samuel's Mother.
The Sphere Embraced in the Round of Ma
ternal Cares and Duties-Christian-
ity Necessity to Perfection.
Beraon at st. Louis.

Ou Duuuay, hdrcu nov. l. 10 W ASs -s'A
mage, D. D., of Brooklyn. preached in St Louis,
on his way home from his Western trip, the
twelfth of his series of sermons on THE Mar
riage Ring It's subject was Motherhood"
The eloquent preacher took for his text Sam
mel. ii 10: 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"
The stories of Deborah and Abigail very
apt to discourage woman's soul She says
within herself, sit is impossible that ever can
achieve any such grandeur of character, and
don't mean to try as though child should re-
fuse to play the eight notes because he cannot
execute civilian Tell" This Hannah of the
text differs from the persons just now named
She was ordinary woman, with ordinary in
telIectual capacity. placed in the ordinary cir
cumstancss, 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 a
person very much like herself-unromantic and
plain, never having fought battle or been the
subject of q marvellous escape. Neither Of them
would have been called genius. just what
you and I might be- that was Elkanah and
Hannah.
The brightest time in all the history of that
Family was the birth of Samuel. Although no
.9tar ran along the heavens pointing down to his
birthplace, | think the angels of God stopped at
she coming of so wonderful prophet.
AS Samuel had been given in answer to prayer.
Elkanah and all his family, save Hannah. started
mp to Shiloh to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
The cradle where the child slept was
altar enough for Hanpahs CRATE d,s
enough she took him to Shiloh and took three
bullocks and an ephah of -four and bottle of
wine and made offering of sacrifice unto the
Lord, and there according to a previous VOW,
Bhe left him. for there he was to stay all the
days of bis life and minister in the temple.
Years rolled on, and every year Hannah made
with her own hands garment for Samuel and
took it over to him. The lad would have got
along we'll without that garment, for suppose
he was we'll 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 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 no
need for her to work. Elkanah. her husband.
was far from poor. He belonged to a distin-
gushsd 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 theyf'
you say do not know; but they distin-
gushed 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 l see her making
that garment and taking it to Samuel, I
know she is industrious from principle as well as
from pleasure. God would not have a mother
become drudge or a slave He would have hsr
employ all the helps possible in this day in the
d. TT
pever to be ashamed to be found making coat
for Samuel.
Most mothers need no counsel in this direction
The wrinkles on their brow, the pallor on their
eheek the thimble mark on their finger attests
that they are faithful in their maternal duties
The bloom, aud the brightness, and the vivacity
of girlhood have given place for the grander dig
nifty, and usefulness, and industry of mother
hood. But there is heathenish idea getting
abroad in some Of the families OF Americans;
there are mothers who Danish themselves from
the home circle For three fourths of their ma
ternal duties they prove themselves incompe-
tent They are ignorant of what their children
wear, and what their children eat and what
their children read. They intrust to irrespons-
BILE persons theseyoung immortals, and allow them
to be under influences which may cripple their
bodies. or faint their purity, or spoil their man
ners destroy their souls.
From the awkward cut of Samuels coat you
know his mother Hannah did not make it. Out
from under flaming chandeliers, and off from i'm
ported carpets and down the granite stairs,
there has come great crowd OF children in this
day, unframed, saucy, incompetent for all prac-
tical duties of lfe ready to be caught in the
FIRST whrl of crime and sensuality. INDECENT
and unfaithful mothers will make indofent and
unfaithful children. You cannot expect neat
ness and order in any house where the daughters
see nothing but slatternliness and upside downa-
tiveness in their parents. Let Hannah be idle.
and most certainly Samuel will grow up idle.
Who are the Industrious men in all our occu
pations and professional Who are they manag-
Ing the merchandise of the world, building the
walls, timing the roofs, weaving the carpets
making the laws; governing the nations making
the earth to quake, and heave, and roar. and
waffle with the tread of gigantic
enterprises? Who are they2 For the
most part they descended from industrious
mothers. who, in their old homestead, used to
spin their own yarn and weave their own car
pets, and plat their own door-mats, and flag their
own chairs, and do their own worn. The stall
wart men and the influential women of this day,
pinety-nine out of a hundred of them, came
from such an ilustrious ancestry Of hard
knuckles and homespun.
And who are those people in society. light as
troth, blown every whittier of temptation and
fashien-the peddlers of filthy stories the dane
ipgjacks of political parties, the of society,
the tavern lounging the store-infesting; the men
OF low wink and fifty chuckle, and brass
breastpns. and rotten associations? For the
most part, they came from mothers idle aud
disgusting-the candal-mongers of society,
going from house 10 house, attending to
everybody's business but their own-believ-
ing in witches, and ghosts, and horseshoes to
keep the devil out OF the church, and by God
Jess life setting their children 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 in
Gnstcious. hard working mothers.
Now, while Congratulate all Christian moth
ers 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 children's walk, her children's behavior, her
Hannah may have, think she ought every year
1t least make one garment for Samuel. The
Lord have mercy on man who is so unfortu-
nate as to have had q lazy mother
Again. Hannah stands before you as an intel
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