Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-06
The Old ARM Chair Where the Aged
Father Sat With Closed Eyes
and Happy Mind,
Tire RockIng-C Chair Where Mother CRIED
over the Waywardness Of Her
WiIliuI Children.
That High Chair whers Baby BAT ana
cooed HIS Happiness-An, All Arc
Vacant Now.

II. DE WIN lhlWhkch toAb W-u"y ""o
/. Samuel, AK, Is; Thou shalt be
missed, because thy seat will be empty"
Following Is the sermon in full
Set on the table the cutlery, snd chased
sIlverware OF the palace, for King Saul
will give a state dinner to-day. A dis
tineuished place is kept at the table for
his son-in-law, celebrated warrior,
David by name. The guests, ieweled and
plumeo, come In and take their places.
When people are invited 70 kings ban
quet they are very apt TO 90. But before
the covers are lifted from the feast Saul
looks around and finds a vacant seat at
the table He says within himself, or
perhaps audiblyi "What does Ehis
meanY Where is my son-in-law2 Where
is David, the great WARRIOR
INVITED HIM.
expected him. What7 A vacant chair
at a kings banquet" The fact was that
David, the warrior, had been seated for
the last time at his father-in-law's table.
The day before Jonathan had coaxed
Dsvid TO go and occupy that place at the
table, saying 10 David, In the words OF
my text; "Thou shalt be missed, be-
cause thy seat will be empty"
The prediction was fulfilled. David
was missed. His seat was empty. That
one vacant chair spoke louder than all the
occupied chairs at the banquet. In al
m0stevery house the articles OF furniture
take living personality. That picture
a stranger would not see anything re-
markable either In its design or execu-
ton, but II is more to you than all
the pictures Of the Louvre and
the Luxembourg. You remember
who bought IL and who ad-
mired II. Aud that hymn-book--you
remember who sang out of 1t. And that
cradle-you remember who rocked II.
And that bible-you remember who read
out OF II, Aud that bed--you remember
who slept In It. And that room-you re-
member who died IN IL. But there is
nothing In all your house so eloquent and
so mighty-voioed as the vacant chair.
suppose that before Saul and his guests
got up from this banquet there was
great clatter Of wine-pitchers, but all that
racket was drowned out by the voice that
came up from the vacant chair at the
table. Many have gazed and wept at
John Quincy Adams vacant chair In the
house OF representatives, and at Mr..
Wilson's vacant chair in the vce-pres-
idency, and at Henry Clay's vacant chair
In the American senate, and at Prince
Alberts vacant chair In Windsor castle,
and at Theirs vacant chair In the coun-
ellis OF the French nation, but all these
chairs are nnimportsnt TO you as com
pared with
THE VACANT CHAIRS
In your own household. Have these
chairs any lessons for you to learnp Are
We any better men and women than when
they hrst addressed us2
i. First, point ont 20 you the fathers
vacant chair. Old men always like 70 Sit
IN the same place and In the same chair.
They somehow feel more at home, and
sometimes when you are In their place
and they come into the room, you Jump
up su tdenly and say: "Here, father.
here's your chair" The probability ia IL
is an armchair, for he is not so strong as
he once was and he needs a little IN.
holding. His hair Is little frosty, his
gums little depressed, for In his early
days there was not much dentistry
Perhaps cane chair and old-iashIoned
apparel for though you may have sug-
gested some improvement, father does
not want any OF your nonsense. Grand
father never had much admiration for
new-fangled notions. sat at the
table OF one OF my Pensioners in a
former congregations an aged man was
AZ the table and his son was presiding,
and the father somewhat abruptly ad.
dressed the son and said "My son, don't
now try TO show off because the minister
Is herel"
Your father never liked any new Gus.
toms or manners; he preferred the old
way OF doing things, and he never Looked
hnnnV chan NIT a
sat In the armchair In the corner, From
wrinkled brow TO the tip of the SINNERS.
what placidity? The wave OF the past
years OF his life broke at the foot OF that
chair. Perhaps sometimes he was little
Impatient, and sometimes told the same
story twice, but over that old chair how
many blessed memories hoveri hone
you did not crowd that old chair, and
that II did not get very much In the way.
sometimes the old mans chair gets very
much In the way, especially II he has been
so unwise rs TO
MAKE OVER ALL HIS PROPERTY
10 MIS- children, with the understanding
that they are TO take care OF him. have
seen In such cases children crowd the
old mans chair to the door, and then
crowd II clear into the street, and then
crowd II into the poor-house, and keen ON
crowding II until the old man fell out Of
II into his grave.
But your fathers chair was sacred
place. The children used TO climb mn ON
the rungs Of II for a goodnight Kiss, and
the longer he stayed the better You liked
II, But that chair has been vacant now
for some time. The furniture dealer
would not give you 80 cents for II, but il
Is q throne OF influence Ia your domestic
circle, saw In the French palace and
IN the throne-room the chair that Nspo.
leon used 10 occupy. II was beautiful
chalr, but the most significant part OF IL
was the letter an" embroidered into the
BACK OF the chair In purple and
gold. And your fathers old chair sits
IN tne throne room Of your heart; and
your affections have embroidered into the
back OF that chair in purple and gold the
letter ~" Have all the prayers Of that
old chair been answered. Have ali the
counsels OF that old chair been practicedf
Speak out, old armchair History tells
us Of an old man whose three sons ware