St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-03-10

as enough his memory was weak. He can
no easier remember a prayer five minutes
than he cen five centuries.
This explains what we often see-some
man or woman distinguished for benevo'
lence when the father and mother were
inguished for righteousness, or you
see some young man or woman with
bad father and hard mother, come out
gloriously for Christ and make the
church sob and shous, and sing under
their exhortations. We stand in corners
of the vestry and whisper over the mat.
ter, and say: "How is this, such great
piety in sons and daughters Of such
narental worldliness and sin?" I will ex-
plain it to you if you will fetch me the
old family Bible containing the full
record. Let some septua genarian look
with me clear upon the page of births and
marriages, and tell me who that woman
was with the old-fashioned name of
Jemima, or Betsy, or Mehitabel. All,
there she is, the old grandmother or
great grandmother, who had enough re-
ligion to saturate a century.
There she is, the dear old soul, Grand
mother Lois. In our beautiful Green
wood-(we may all sleep there when our
work is done, for when I get up in the
resurrection morning l want my congre-
alton all about me)-in Greenwood there
is the res ting -pace of Gaorge W. Bethune,
once a minister of Brooklyn Heights, his
name never spoken among INTEL gent
Americans without suggesting two things
-eloquence and evangelism. In the same
tomb sleeps his grandmother, Isabella
Graham, who was the chief inspiration
of his ministry. You are not surprised
at the poetry and pathos and pulpit
power of the grandson when you read Of
the faith and devotion Of his wonderful
ancestress. When you read this letter,
in which she poured out her widowed
soul in longing for sons salvation, you
will not wonder that succeeding genera
lions have been blessed.
NEW YORK. May 90 1791.-This day my only
son left me in bitter wrfngings of heart: he is
again launched on the ocean-God's ocean. The
Lord saved him from shipwreck, Brought him
to my home, AMI allowed me once more to in
dulpe nv affections over HIM He has been
with me but short time, and i'll have i'm
proved it; he is gone from my sight and my
| heart bursts with tunultuols grief. Lore nave
mercy on the widows son, 'sthe only son OF his
mother
Task nothing in all this world for him: re-
peat nv petition, save his soul alive, give him
salvation from sin. 1t is not the danger OF the
seas that distresses me: it is not the hardsh1ps
! he must undergo; it is not the dread OF never
seeing him more in this world; 1t is because ]
can not discern the new birth nor its fruit, but
every symptom of captivity to Satan, the
world and self-will. This, this is what distress
| es me; and in connection with this his being
shut out from ordinances at distance from
| Christians: shut up with those who forget GOO
| profane his name ana break his Sabbaths; meE
] who often live and die like beasts. yet are &C
| countable creatures, who must answer for every
| moment Of time and every word, thought ano
| action o, Lord, many wonders hast Thou shown
me: Thy ways of dealing with me and mine have
not been common ones; add this wonder to the
rest Call, convert, regenerate and establish a
| sailor in the faith. Lord. all things are posi-
| BILE with thee; glorify Thy Son and extend His
kingdom by sea and land: take the prey from
/ the strong. roll him over upon Thee. Many
/ friends try to comfort me: miserable comfort
/ ers are they all. Thou art the God of consola
| ton: only confirm to me Thy precious word or
| which Thou causedst me to hope in the day
/ when Thou saidst to me: 'Ieaye Thy fatherless
children. will preserve them alive" Only lei
/ this life be spiritual life, and put blank in
| Thy hand as to all temporal things.
| Iwait for Thy salvation. Amen.
i With such grandmother, would yot
| not have a right to expect George W
Bethune2 and all the thousands converted
through his ministry may date the saving
power back to Isabella Graham.
! You must see those women of the early
/ nineteenth century and of the eighteent,
| century, the answer of whose prayers i:
in your welfare to-day. God bless all TIT
aged women up and down the land and il
all lands! What a happy thing Pom
| ponius Atticus to say when ma king TIA
funeral address of his mother: Though
/ have resided with her SIXTY seven years
was never once reconciled to her, be
cause there never happened the least dis
! cord between us, and consequently Their
was no need of reconcil iation." Make i
as easy for the old folks as you can. Whel
they are sick get for them the best doc
tors. Give them your arm when th
streets are slippery. Stay with them al
the time YOU can. Go home and see tn
old folks. Find the place for them il
the hymn book. Never be ashame'
if they prefer styles Of appare
a little antiauated. Never sa,
any thing that implies they are in til
wav. Make the road for the last mile a
smooth as you can. Oh, my! how 20
will miss her when she is gone. [ woul
81 give the house from over my head to Sc
mother. I have so many things
| would like to tell her, things tina
have happened in the twenty
four years since she went away
Morning, noon anu night let us thank Go
! for the good influences that have com
down from good mothers all the wa
hack. Timothy, don't forget your mo. hd
Eunice, and don't forget your grand
mother Lois And hand Gown to other
this patrimony of ble>sing. Pass alon
, the coronsts. Make religion an h~.rlool
] from generation to generation. Mother
; of America, consecrate yourselves to Go
!. and you will help consecrate all the age
following! Do not dwell SO much on yoU
, hardships that Won miss your chance {
i welding an influence that shall loo
i down upon you from the towers OF Il
endless future. / know Martin II
Their was right when he console
t his wife over the death of their daughte
> by saving: stDon't take on SO. wife; re
, member tb at this is hard world for girls.
) Yes, go further and say: 1t is has
world for women. Aye, 6
{ further and say: It is hard worl
) for men. But for all women an
| men who trust their bodies and souls
!. the hand of Christ the shining gates wi
/ soon swing open. Don't you see the sicl
5 " pallor ON the sky? That is the pallt
ON the cold cheek of the diving nigh