Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-06

y ~ -
a.r.yssd9 sneak out, old arm chairl
win rnference 10 your father, the words
~ INV text have been fulhlled: Thou
shalr be missed, because thy seat VIII DC
empty" Aorso
and ind
THE MOTHERS CHAIR.
| II ie very apt to be rockingham. Sne |
mad 40 many cares and troubles to sootne |
that Il must have rockers. ! remember
81 well. IL was an old chair, and the
rockers were almost worn out, Tor was
the Youngest, and the chair had rocked
the whole family. 1t made creaking
noise as II moved; but there was music
in the sound. 1t was just nigh enough
70 allow us children TO put ourheads into
her lap. That was the bank where we
( deposited all our hurts and worries. On,
what chair that wasl IL was different
from fathers chair; 1t was entirely diner
ent. You ask me howf cannot tell
but we eli felt II was different. fernaps
there was about this chair more gentle"
ness, more tenderness, more grief
when we had done wrong. When
cd, out mother cried. II was
very wakeful chair. In the sick days OF
children other chairs could not keep
awake; that chair always kept awake,
kept easily awake. That chair knew
/ all the old tullabies and all those word
less songs which mothers sing TO
their sick children--songs in
which all pity and compassion and sym
pathetic influences are combined. That
old chair has stopped rocking for good
many years. 1t may be set up In the loft
or the garnet, but II holds a queenly
power yet. When at midnight you went
into that grog-shop to get the intoxlcat-
ing draughr did you not hear voice that
said "My son, why 90 in there2" And
louder than the boisterous encore Of the
wicked place Of amusement, voice say
ing: "My son, what do you here2" And
when you went into
THE HOUSE or SIN
voice saying: "What would your
mother do II she knew you were here?"
! And you were provoked with yourself,
and you charged yourself with supersti-
ton and tanaticism, and your head got
hot with your own thoughts, and you
went home and went to bed, and no
sooner had you touched the bed than a
voice said: "What prayerless pillowl
Man, what Is the matter?" This: You
are too near your mothers rockingham
ooh, pshawl" you say. "There's moth
ing In that. Pm 800 miles OFF from where
was born. Pm 5000 miles of from the
church whose bell was the first music |
ever heard" ! cannot help that; you are
too near your mothers rocking-chair.
"Oh," you say, "there can't be anything
In that; that chair has been vacant great
while" cannot help that; 1t is all the
mightier for that; 1t is omnipotent, that
mothers vacant chair. 1t whispers, IL
speaks, II weeps, II carols, 1t mourns, II
prays, 1t warns, II thunders. young
man went off and broke his mothers
heart, and while he was away
from home his mother died, and
the telegraph brought the son, and
he came into the room where she Law and
looked upon her face, and he cried out:
"Oh, mother, motherl what your life
could not do your death shall effect. This
moment give my heart to God" And
he kept his promise. Another victory for
the vacant chair. With reference to your
mother the words of my text were full
filled: "Thou shalt be missed, because
thy seat will be empty"
Some one said to Grecian general:
what was the proudest moment in your
life?" He thought moment and said:
"The proudest moment In my life was
when ! sent word home to my parents
that had gained the victory" And the
proudest and most brilliant moment In
your life will be the moment when you
can send word to your parents that You
have conquered your evil habits by the
grace OF God, and become eternal victor.
Oh, despise not parental anxiety! The
time will come when you will have neith-
or father nor mother, and you will 20
around the place where they used to
watch you, and
FIND THEM GONE
from the house, and gone from the field.
and gone from the nelghborhood. Cry as
loud for forgiveness as you may over the
mound in the churchyard, they will not
answer. Deadl Deadl And then YOU
Will take out the white lock Of hair that
was cut from your mothers brow lust be-
fore they buried her, aud you Will take
the cane with which your father used to
walk, and you will think and think and
wish that you had done Just as they want
ed yon TO, and would give the world IL
you mad never thrust pang through their
dear old hearts. God pity the young man
| who has brought disgrace on his fathers
namel God pity the young man who has
broken his mothers hearth Better II he
had never been born; better If In the first
hour Of his life, instead of being laid
against the warm bosom OF maternal ten
derpess, he had been cofllned and
sepulchred. There is no balm powerful
enough to heal the heart OF one who has
brought parents to sorrowiul grave,
and who wanders about through the GENE.
terry, rending the hair and wrlnging the
hands and crying; "Mother! Motherln
Oh, that to-day by all the memories of
the past and by all the hopes OF the fu-
ture, you would yield your heart to God!
May your fathers God and your mothers
God, be your God forever.
| 3. 80 on little further; l come to
the invalid's chair. WhatS How long
have you been sick? ooh, have been
sick ten, twenty, thirty years" Is it
posslblel What a story OF endurance!
There are in many families Of my congre-
cation these invalid chairs. The occupants
| of them think they are doing No oood in