Omaha daily bee., 1888-12-24
MOTHERHOOD.
Rev. A. w. Lamar's Discourse at the
Eirst Baptist Church.

in his series of family sermons at the First
Baptist church, corner of Fifteenth and Dav-
export streets, last night. He took for his
subject: "Motherhood-Its Joys and Re.
sponsibilities.n His text was from Psalms
1l3 10: "a Joyful mother of children"
Some ore has said, "When God thought Of
mother He must have laughed with satisfac.
ton and framed it Quickly-so rich, so deep,
so divine, so full of soul, power and beauty
was the conception The thought of father
affects us SO differently from that of mother.
The very thought of her brings up memories
and pictures which were engraven on child
hoods life. When God says! GAS one whom
his mother comforteth will | comfort thee, y
the picture comes up OF a distressed child
going to its mother with a trouble 1t knows
not how to tell; but she takes it in her arms,
understands it without explanation, goes to
the root of its trouble and comforts IL so that
its sorrow is gone and smiles come back TO
the tear-stainGd cheek. What a thought is
mother'sl Only God can touch such depths
of our nature as she does. At times she
seems almost inspired, so great and marvel
Gus is her capacity to understand her child
rem.
Who can tell the experience of a mother
over her first borne There is no picture this
side of heaven which means as much as that
picture seen when the new born babe is laid
for the first time on its mothers bosom.
Mrs. Emily Judson says:
9Th pulse first caught its tiny stroke,
The blood its crimson hue from mine;
The life, which | have dared invoke,
Henceforth l is parallel with thine.'
No painters brush can tell all the heavenly
expressions which comes into the young
mothers face as she holds her first babe to
her heart; curiosity, prophecy, Joy, pride,
mOtherlineSs-all written in that look of in
distructible love. A christian physician of
thirty years practice said to me once, after
we had gone through a picture gallery, that
there was no picture on earth which so
touched his heart as that of the young
mother holding her first babe to her bosom.
BY divine arrangement the mother sits upon
the throne of the house and reigns without a
rival. Her children behold truth and good
ness incarnated in her life. A Roman gen
eral said: paradise is at the feet of
mothers" When all other influences fail Il
man and fade from his vision, the vision of
his mother and childhood's house abide with
him. In all his weary and evil wanderings
he never gets beyond the overshadowing of
her memory She is the chief constellation in
his moral heavens, AS she comes nearer to
the children is her responsibility increased.
i would counsel you mothers to be faithful
in training your children. Mrs. Sigourney
says: "And say to mothers what a holy
charge is theirs, with what a kingly power
their love might rule the fountains of the
newborn mind. Warn them to wake at
early dawn and sow good seed before the
world SowS tareS.n
Remember you have the child more ex-
clusively under your influence and at the
very best time of it's life, for laying the foun-
dation of future character. When it came
into the circle of your influence it's heart was
as the sensitive plate of the camera, ready to
receive but not yet having any impressions
made thereon. Tho first impression made
thereon is made by the mother. A mother
should work out this truest of child-training
with fear and trembling. Your influence is
more important than even the minister's.
The Scotch were right when they said: "An
ounce of mother is worth a pound of par
son. Her influence will flow on through
the child's life, despite all the storms which
sweep his bosom as does the gulf stream
flow through the ocean. What a vast add
vantage the mother has in that she has the
child more than all others for the first ten
years of its life. He can be influenced more
by her than any other being of earth. How
profoundly significantthis fact: 'The mother
her child that it may learn eternal songs, is
doing a higher work than if she were Jenny
Lind singing on the stage"
l know it sometimes seems idle for toiling
mothers to indulge in romantic ideas which
poets and novelists write about a mothers
high mission, but beg you to remember that
the noblest thing that is done in this world is
when a mother does in truth and in the fear
of God train up a child. All men must stand
back in the presence of such q mother. Re
III IhAub wv - III iliNl Lipu'l II
history it is the ordinary women like your
self who have done so much to enrich the
world by the way they trained their children.
1t is ordinary, humble women, like the moth
ers OF Spurgeon and Moody, who have done
so much for the whole world.
Again | counsel you that intelligence and
good example must adorn you If you will
with your children. Most of you had
a good start in intelligence. You have been
well educated, If you had not this advantage
then you must cultivate your minds. You need
to have all your faculties well trained, must
know when TO reward one and punish
must know that what will make
Charlie will ruin Willie. In this age of the
world ignorance as TO how to train children
is objectionable. Many of our mothers and |
with little or no schooling |
were well informed and splendidly lntelli-
gent mothers. Let your example emphasize
your teaching. Keep the equilibrium; don't |
fly to pieces. Have self-control or you can't
the children. "A mother boxes little
ears and calls her a nasty brat" be-
cause she upset her coffee on the breakfast
a day or two after, when Mary's
little visitor does the same thing, the mother
sweetly says: at doesn't make any differ
ence. Don't mind it," Mary opens her
eyes wide and looks in wonderment at her
mother.
Again, T counsel you to make your home
happy for your children. Many mothers
sadly neglect this. 1t costs some effort
and they are too lazy or too
to make it. No wonder the
children want to go from home evenings.
Here is an old fashioned receipt for a little
comfort: Take fer thought of self one
part, two parts Of thought for family; equal
parts of common sense and broad intelli-
renee. "a larger mOdicum Of sense of the fit
less of things, a heaping measure OF living
lboye what your neighbors think of you,
vice the quantity of keeping within your
income, a sprinklipg of what tends TO re-
and esthetic beauty, stirred thick
With christian principle of the true brand,
md set it TO rise. Put this into your home
md children will think it the sweetest place
IN earth. .
| counsel in conclusion that you must be a
Except you are one yourself how
AN you cOnsecrate your children TO the
ord 7 With all the valuable accessions you
nay have in the way OF intelligence, moral
Example and beautiful homes, unless you
AVE the spirit and graces of "a christian
mother you are not fitted TO train your chill
lren. Thank God their are not many prayer
ess mothers. There are millions of children
n heaven who were brought there by
mothers. AS they crowd
he battlements of heaven and are
boxing out for the coming of their
n%otlIers, what a song will burst from them
s they see them enter the pearly gates.
What a welcome such mothers will have.
A son was dyink on a far of shore. He
ad been sick some time in that strange land.
lie felt that life was ebbing fast. He called
he nurse and dictated a letter TO his mother.
My dear, beautiful, blessed mothers; Your