The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-01-19
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Weekly Discourses Of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher.
Subject ''Fhc Women Who
Fight the. BATTLES of Life
AlOne.''

TEXT: Euerg mtse Uoman ouadeth Ar
house-Proverbs, xiv, l.
Woman, mere ad junct to man, an appeh
dix to the masculine volume, something
hefesy entertained and implied by some men.
This is evident to them: Woman's insignli-
cance, as compared to man, is evident to
them, because Adam was first created and
then Eve. They don't read the whole story
or they would find that the porpoise and the
bear and the ark We're created before Adam,
so that this argument drawn from priority
Of creation might prove that the sheep and
the dog were greater than man. No! Woman
was an independent creation, and was in
tended, If she chose, to live alone, to walk
alone, act alone, think alone and fight her
battles alone Tho Bible says it is not good
far man to be alone, but never says it il not
good for woman to he alone; and the simple
fact is that women who are harnessed for
life in the marriage relation would be a
thousandfo!d better off if they were alone
God makes no mistake, and the fact that
there is such large majority of women In
this land, proves that he intended that multi
tudes Of them should go alone.
Who are these men who year after year
hang around hotels and engine houses and
theatre doors and come in aud out to bother
busy clerks and merchants and mechanics,
doing nothing even when there is plenty to
doi They are men supported by their wives
and mothers. If the statistics of any of our
cities could be taken on this subject you
would find that vast multitude of women
not only support themselves but masculines.
great legion Of men amount to nothing,
and woman by marriage nlanaced to one
of these noncntitics needs coincidence. A
woman stancing outside the marriage rea
tion is several hundred thousand times better
off than woman badly married. Many
bride instead of wreath of orange blossoms
might more properly wear buuch of nettles
and nightshade, and instead of the Welding
March more appropriate tune would he the
Dead March in Saul, and instead OF a ban
quet of confectionery and ices there might
be more appropriately spread table covered
with apples of Sodom, which are outside fair
and inside ashes.
Many an attractive woman OF good sound
sense in other things has married one of these
men to reform him. What was the resutl
Like when dove noticing that n vulture was
rapacious and cruel set about to reform it
and said: " have mild disposition, and |
like peace, and was brought up in the quiet
of dove cot, and | will bring the vnlture
to the same liking by marrying him" So
one day after the vulture had declared he
would give up his carnvorous habits and
cease longing for blood of flock and herd, at
an altar of rock covered with moss and
llchen, the twain were married, bald headed
eagle officiating, the vulture saying: "With
all my dominion of earth and sky | thee en-
dow, and promise to love and cherish till
death do us part" But one day the dove, in
her flight, saw the vulture busy at a carcass
and cried: "Stop that did you not promise
me that you would quit your carnivorous
and filthy habits if married youw Eyes"
said the vulture, "hut if you don't like my
way you can leave" and with one angry
stroke of beak and another fierce clutch of
claw the vulture left the dove eyeless and
wingless and lfeless. And flock of robins
flying past cried to zach other and said: "See
therel that comes from doves marrying u
vulture to reform him."
Many woman who has had the hand Of
young inebriate offered but declined it, or
who was asked to chain her life to man
selfish or of bad temper, and refused the
shack,es, will bless God throughout all
eternity that she escaped that earthly pande-
monium.
Besides all this, in oar country about
100000 men were sacrificed in our civil
war, and that decreed million women to
celibacy. Besides that since the war, several
armies of men as large as the Federal and
Confederate armies put together have fallen
under malt liquors and distilled spirits so full
of poisoned ingredients that the work was
done more rapidly, and the victims fell while
yet young. And if $1,000 men are destroyed
every year by strong drink before marriage,
that makes in the twenty three years since
the war 10000 men slain, and DEGREES
ll,l500oO women to celibacy. Taking then the
fact that SO many women are unhappy in
their marriage, and the fact that the
slaughter of 2,l5o,0o3 men by war and rum
combined decides that at least that number
of women shall be unbalanced for life, my
text comes in with cheer and a potency and
appropriateness that never saw in it before
when it says: EVERY wise woman buildeth
her house, that is let womll be her own
architect, lay out her own plan, be her own
supervisor, achieve her own destiny.
In addressing these women who will have
to fight the battle of life alone, congratulate
that you VIII not have to navigate the faults
OF the other sex, when you have faults
enough of your own. Think of the bereave-
ments you avoid, of the risk of una simulated
temper which you will not have to run, of
the cares you will never have to carry, and
of the opportunity of outside usefulness from
which marital life would have partially de-
barred you, and that you are free to 20 and
come as one who has the responsibilities of a
you hard lot as compared with yonr sisters
When young women shall make up their
minds at the start that masculine companion.
ship is not necessity in order to happiness.
ana mat there Is strong probability that
they will have to fight the battle OF life
alone, they will be getting the timber ready
for their own fortune, and their saw and az
and plane sharpened for its construction
since every wise woman buildeth hei
house"
AS no boy ought to he brought up without
learning some business at which he could
earn livelihood, so no girl ought to bt
brought up without learning the science o
SELF support The difficulty is that many
family goes sailing on the high tides Of sue
cess, and the husband and father depends OF
his own health and acu'nen for the welfar,
Of his household, but one day lie gets his fee
wet, and i'll three days pneumonia has closet
his life, and the daug ghters are turned out OF
cold world to earn breal, and there i
nothing practical that they can do. Tn,
friends of the family come in and hold cun
slIltation.
Give music lessons" says an outsider
Yes, that is useful calling; and if you hav,
great genius for it 20 on in that direction
But there are enough music teachers nov
starving to death in all our towns and cite
to occupy all the piano stools and sofas ant
chairs and front doorsteps of the city. Be
side that the daughter has been playing onl,
for amusement and is only at tue foot of the
ladder, to the top of which great multitud;
of masters on piano and harp and tiute ant
organ have climbed.
"Put the bereft daughters as saleswomcl
in stores" says another adviser. But ther
they must compete with statesmen of long ex
perience or with men who have served an aI
premiership in commerce, and who began a
shop boys at 10 years of age. Some kin
hearted dry goods man having known tn
father, now gone, says: "We are not in nee
of any more help just now, but send you
daughters to my store and / will do as we
Lv them as possible" Very soon the que
ton comes up: Why do not the female en-
| poyes of that establishment get as muc
| wages as the male ernpioyesi For the simpl
reason in mary cases the females were SUD
denly flung by misfortune behind tina
counter, while the males have from the da
they left the public school been learning th
| business
How IL this evil to be ciired, Start clea
| hack ia the homestead and teach your daugt
| ters that life is an earnest thing, and tina
there is possibility, il not strong prol
| ability, that they will have to fight the battl
| OF life alone. Let every father and mothe
| say to their daughters: Now. what woul
| you do for "A livelihood il what | now ow
/ were swept away by financial disaster. or oil
age or death should end my careern
well, | could paint ON pottery and d
| .ttct, da,.o,ati,,.. xun,L yaS that il, l.....