St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-03-06

Observation-Disclosures Murderers.
Rev, T. HoWitt Talmage took for the
subject OF the seventh discourse of his
series on 'I9,e Marriage Ring" "The Du-
lies of Wives to Husbands" His text
was.
The name Of his wife, Abigail; and she
was woman Of good understanding. and
of a beautiful countenance-L Samuel,
XIV, g.
The ground in Carmel is white, not with
Gallen snow, but the wool from the backs
Of three thousand sheep, for they are be-
ing sheared. And hear the grinding of
the iron blades together, and the bleating
of the docks, held between the knees OF the
shearers while the clipping goes on, and
the rustic laughter of the worknen. Nabal
and bis wife Abigail preside over this home
stead. David, the warrior, sends a dele
cation to apply for aid at this prosperous
time of sheep shearing, and Nabal per-
enptorily declines his request. Revenge
Is the cry. Yonder over the rocks come
David and four hundred angry men with
one stroke to deInolish Nabal and his
sheepfolds and vineyards. The regiment
march in doubie-quicE, and the stones of
the mountain loosen and roll down as the
soldiers strike them with their swift feet,
and the cry OF the commander is, "For-
ward! Forward!"
Abigail, to save her husband and his
property, hasSens to the foot of the hill.
She is armed, not with sword or spear, but
with her own beauty and self-sacrifce,
and when David sees her kneeling at the
foot of the crag he cries: "Hold! Hold."
Abigail is the conqueress! One woman i'll
the ight migkt;er than four hundred men
in the wrong! A hurricane stopped at the
sight Of water-lily! A dew drop dashed
back Niagara! By her proves and tact
she has saved her husband and saved her
home, and put before all ages an llustrious
specimen Of what a wife can do if she be
godly and prudent, and self-sacrifcing
and vigilant, and devoted to the interests
of her husband. and attractive.
AS, Sabbath before last, took the re-
sponsibiliy of telling husbands how they
ought to treat their wives-and, though
noticed that some of them squirmed in
their pews, they endured it weli-I now
take the responsibility of telling how
wives ought to treat their husbands. hope
your domestic alliance was so happily
formed that while married life may
have revealed in him some frailies
that you did not suspect, it has also dis
played exeellences that raore than over
balanced them. suppose that if could
look into the heart of g hundred wives
here present and ask them where is the
seindest and best man they know Of, and
they dared speak cut, ninety-nine out
of hundred of them would say: Sat
the other end Of this pew" Though
sometimes you may have snapped each
other up a little quick, think the most Of
you are as well paired as couple
of whom I have read. The wife said
to her husband: 81 have made up my
snind to be submissive Notwithstanding
all the misfortunes that have come upon
u.s." They had lost their children, he had
lost his health, and hence, the income of
his profession, and the wife had tempo
rarily lost her eyesight. 'Yes," said the
husband, tive ought to be submissive.
Let me see what we have to submit to.
First, we have home; we can submit to
that Then we have food and raiment; we
can submit to that. Then we have great
many friends; we can submit to that. We
have Heavenly Father to provide for us
-" "Stop! Stopt1 said the wife, ~ will
talk no more about submission"
hope, my sister, you have married a
man as Christian and as well balanced as
that. But even if you were worsted in the
conjugal bargain, you can not be worse off
than this Abigail in my text. Her hus-
band was coarse and ungratefui, an in
ebriate, for on the very evening after her
heroic achievement at the foot Of the hill,
where she captured a whole regiment with
her genial and strategic behavior, she re-
turned home and found her husband 50
drunk that she could not tell him tbs story,
but had to postpone it until the next day.
So, my sister, do not want you to keep
saying within yourself as proceed: "That
lis the way to treat a perfect husband" for
you are to rem ernher that no wife was ev,r
worse swindled than this Abigail of nay
text. At the other end of her table sat
mean, selfish, snarling, contemplate sot,
and il she could do so well for a bastard,
how ought yon to do with that princely
and splendid man with whom you are to
walk the path of life:
I counsel the wife 20 remember in what
o severe and terrific battle of life her hus-
band is engaged. Whether in professional
OF commercial or artistic or mechanical
life, your husband from morning to night
is in Solferino If not Sedan. 1t is |
wonder that your husband has any nerves
Or patience or suavity left. To get liv-
ing in this nex5 to the last decade of the
nineteenth century is struggle. !
II he come home and sit down |
EMeoccupied, you ought to excuse him. If |
be do not feel like going out that night for
q walk or entertainment, remember he has |
been out all day. You say he ought to