The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-03-08

influence when it has been multlplei IN
hundreds of thousands of lives, is the
difference between the Mississippi River way
up at the top OF the continent starting
from the little lake ltasca, seven miles long
and one W de, and its mouth at the CUR OF
Mexico, where navies might ride. Betweeh
the birth Of that river and its burial IN inc
sea the Missouri pours in, and the ono pours
in, and the Arkansas pours in, ana the hei
and White and Yazoo Rivers pour in, ana an
the States and Territories between the Ale
ghany and Rocky Mountains make contribu-
ton. Now, in order to test the power OIL
mouners inuuence, we need 70 come IN OH OIL
the ocean of eternity and sail toward the one
cradle, and we will find ton thousand trlo.
utaries of influence pouring IN and pouring
down, But it is after all ono great river OF
power rolling on and rolling forever.
Who can fathom it, Who can bridge
iti Who can stop. its Had not
mothers better bs intensifying. their
their example' Hal they not better be
rousing themselves with the consideration
that by their faithfulness or neglect they
arc starting an influence which will be
stupendous after the last mountain OF earth
is fiat, and the last sea has been dried up,
and the last flake of the ashes of con
sumed world shall have been blown
away, and all the telescopes of other worlds
directed to the track around which our world
once swung shall discover not so much as
cinder of the burned down and sweptof
planet In Ceylon there is n granite column
tbrty-six square feet in size, which
is thought by the natives to decide
the worlds continuance. An angel
with robe spun from zephyrs is once CEN
fury to descend and sweep the hem OF that
robe across the granite, and when by that at
triton the column is worn away they say
time will end. But by that process that
granite column would be worn out Of exis-
tence before that mothers influence will be-
gin to give away.
If mother tell child if he is not good
some bugaboo will come and catch him, the
fear excited may make the child a coward,
and the fact that he fin Is that there is no
bugaboo may make him liar, and the echo
of that false alarm may be heard after fifteen
generations have been born and have expired.
If a mother promise child reward for
good behavior and after the good behavlor
forgets to give the reward, the cheat may
crop out in some faithlessness half thousand
years further on. If a mother culture
child's vanity and eu.ogize his curls AMI extol
the night-black or skyblue or nut brown OF
the child's eyes, and call out in his presence
the admiration and pride of specta-
tors, pride and arrogance may be
prolonged after half dozen fam
lily records have been obliterated. If a
mother express doubt about some statement
of the Holy Bible in q child's presence, long
closed and the gates of another era have
opened, the result may be seen in a champion
blasphemer. But, on the other hand,
if mother walking with a child
see a suffering one by the way
side and says: "My child, give that
ten cent piece to that lame boy the result
may be seen on the other side of the follow
ing century in some George Muller building
a whole village Of orphanages. If mother
sit almost every evening by the trunde bed
of child and teach it lessons of a Saviour's
love and Saviours example, OF the i'm
portance :. of truth and the horror
of lie,. and the virtues Of in
and self sacrifice, long after the mother has
gone and the child has gone and the lettering
| shall have been washed out by the storms of
innumerable winters there may be standing,
as a result Of those trunde-hed lessons, fam
ing evangels, woodworking rcformers, weep
| ing Paysons, laundering Whiteiields, emanci-
pating Washingtons.
| Good or bad influence may skip one genera
ton or two generations, but it will be sure to
land in the third or fourth generation, just as
the Ten Commandments, speaking of the
visitation of God on families, says nothing
about the second generation, but entirely
| skips the second and speaks of the third and
fourth generation: "Visiting the iniquities
of the fathers upon the third and fourth
| generations of them that hate me-" Parental
influence right and wrong, may jump over a
generation, but it will come down further on
MS sure as you sit there and l stand here.
| Timothy's ministry was projected by his
grandmother, Lois. There are men and
women here, the sons and daughters Of
the Christian Church, who are such as
result of the conservation of great
great-grandmothers. Why, who do YOU
think the Lord is: You talk as though His
memory was weak He can no easier remem-
1or ,,r.aN- fsxyay ,,,,ta hon, ha
centuries. This explains what we often see
some man or woman distinguished for
benevolence when the father and mother
were distinguished for penuriousness, or you
see some Young man or woman with o
bad father and hard mother como
out gloriously for Christ and make
the church sob and shout and sing under
the vestry and whisper over the matter and
say: "How is this, such great piety in sons
and daughters Of such parental worldliness
and sing' will explain it to you if you will
fetch me the old Family Bible containing the
full record. Let some septuaa enarian look with
me clear upon the page of births and mar
rlages, and tell me who that woman was
| with the old-fashioned name of Jenima or
Betsy or Mehitabel. Ah there she is, the old
grandmother or great grandmother, who
had enough religion to saturate century.
There she is tho dear old soul, Grand
mother Lois. In our beautiful Greenwood
may we all sleep there when our work is
done, for when | get up in the resurrection
morning l want my congregation all about
me)--in Greenwood there Is the resting place
of George w. Bethune, once minister OF
Brooklyn Heights, his name never spoken
among intelligent Americans without sug-
costing two things-eloquence and evangel-
ism. In the same tomb sleeps his grandmot Ter,
Isabella Graham who was the chief inspira-
ton of his ministry. You are not surprised
at the poetry and patho3 and pulpit power of
the grandson when you read of the faith and
devotion of his wond .rful ancestress When
you read this letter, in which she poured out
her Widowed soul in longings for a sons sal
walton, YOU will not wonder that su cceedng
generations have been blessed:
With such q grandmother, would you not
have right to expect George w. Bethune!
and all the thousands converT6d through his
ministry may date tine saving power PACK to
Isabella Graham.
New YosK. May 90 179l.
This day my only son left me in bitter wrngings
of heart; he is again aunche on the ocean, Gods
ocean. The Lord savel him from shpwseck,
brought him to my home, an allowed me once
more TO indulge my affections over him. lie has
been with me bat short time, and Ill have i'm
proved it: he has gone from my sigh and my heart
bursts with tuma!tuous grief. Lord have mercy
the widows son, ''the on y son OF his mother"
ask nothing in all this DID for him: repeat
my petition. save his soul alive, give him salvation
from sin. 1t Is not the danger OF the seas that dis
tress me; it is not the hardShips lie must undergo
is not The dread of seeing him more in this
world; it is because cannot discern the fulhiment
of the promise within him. | cannot discern the
new birth nor its fruit, but every symptom OF cap
tivity to satan the world an sclf-will This, thi;
Is what dstresses me; and in connection with this
his being shut out from or finances at distance
from Christians; shut UP W III those who forget
God, profane His name and break His Sabbath
men who often live an die like boasts yet are ac
countable creatures, who must answer for every
moment OF time and every w,rd, thought an
action. o Lord. many wonders hast Tlou thown
, me; Thy ways OF dealing with me and mine nave
not been common ones; add this wonder to the rest
J Call, convert, regenerate and establish sailor il
| the faith. Lord, all things arc possible with Thee
! glorify Thy Son and ex end His kingdom by seI
: and land; take the prey from the strong. rol
Z him over upon Thee. Many friends try to comfor
me; miserable comforters are they all Thou ar
the God Of con ISOLATION; only confirm to me TIL.
, precious word, on which Thou causedst me to ,p
: in the day when Thou sadst to me: leave tn
fatheress children, will preserve them awe.
| Only let this life be spiritual life and l put
blank in Thy hand to ali temporal things. wal
FOR Thy salvation. Amen.
, God fill the earth and the heavens witt
! such grandmothers; we must some day g