The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-12-05

""',"i pounuhig ~ tnelr pulses. what n
contrast between the practical bencvolence
Of this woman and great deal OF the char
lty OF this day This woman did not spend
her time idly planning how the moor
u your city OF Joppa were TO be re-
lieved; she took her needle and relieved them.
she was not like those persons who SYM
lathize with imaginary sorrows and 20 ont
IN the street and laugh at the boy who has
upset his basket Of cold victusls, or like that
,harity which makes rousing speech on the
benevolent platform, and goes out TO kick the
oeggsr from the step, crying: Hush your
miserable howlingw The sufferers of the
"oriu want not so much theory as practice;
nov so much tears as dollars: not 10 much
k'nu wishes as loaves OF bread not so
much smiles as shoes; not so much
uou bless yousV as jackets and frocks
viii put one earnest Christian man bard
WORKING. against five thousand mere theorists
ON the subject Of charity. There are ercot
many VINO have fine ideas about church archi-
lecture who never In their life belped 10
build a church. There are mon who can
give you the history of Buddhism and Mo.
hammedanism, who never sent n fsrtbins
Tor their evangelization. There are women
VINO talk beautifully about the suffering Of
the world, who never had the courage like
Dorcss to take tho needle and assault Il.
am glad that there is not a page OF tho
worlds history which is not a record OF 10.
male benevolence God says to all lands and
people, Come now and hear the widows mite
rattle down into the poor box. The Princess
of Cont sold all her jewels that she might
help the famine stricken. Queen Blanche
the wife of Louis VIII, of France. hearing
that there were somc persons uniustly in.
carcerated in the prisons, went out amidst
the rabble and took stick and struck the
door as signal that they might all strike it.
and down went the prison door and out
came the prisoners Queen Maud, tho
wife Of Henry l., went down amidst the
poor and washed their sores and adj
ministered 10 them cordials Mrs Retson,
At Matagorda, appeared on the battlefield
while the missiles of death were flying
around, and cared for the wounded Is
there man or woman who has ever heard
" the Civil War in America who has not
heard OF the women of the Sanitary and
Christian commissioners or the fact that be
fore the smoke had gone upSrom Gettysburg
and South Mountain, the women OF the
North met the women of the South on the
battlefield, forgetting all their animosties
while they bound up the wounded, and closed
the eyes Of the sainf Dorcas the benefac-
tress
l come now 10 speak Of Dorcas tho
lamented When death struck down that
good woman, oh, how much sorrow there
was in this town Of Joppal ! suppose there
were women here with larger fortunes;
women, perhaps with hnudsoiner faces; but
there was no grief at their departure like this
at the death Of Dorcas. There was not more
turmoil and upturning in the Mediterran-
can Sea, dsshing against the wharves Of this
seaport, than there were Surgings 30 and fro
Of grief because Dorcas was dead. There
are great many who go out OF life and are
unmisscd. There may be very large
funeral; there may be great many carriages
and plumed hearse; there may be high
sounding eulogiums; the bell may toll at the
mt th,r. ~. a,,..
marble shaft reared over the resting place:
but the whole thing may be falsehood and
q sham. The church Of God has lost nothing,
the world has lost nothing. IL Is only a
nuisance abated; IL is only grumbler ceas-
ing TO find fault; IL is only an idlcr stopped
yawning; II is only dissipated fashionable
parted from his wine cellar; while, on
the other hand, no useful Christian leaves
TINS world without being missed. The church
OF God cries out like the prophet: Howl,
iir tree, for the cedar has fallen" Widow
hood comes and shows the garments which
the departed had made. Orphans are lifted
up to look into the calm face of the sleeping
benefactress. Reclaimed vagrancy comes
and kisses the cold brow of her who charmed
le away from SIM and all through the streets
oil Joppa there is mourning-mourning bo-
cause Dorcas sdead
When Josephine of France was carried
out to her grave, there were n great many
,iO" anu "oihenol pOnlp ana pfluo ana posi-
tlon that went out after her; but / am most
affected by the story of history that ON that
day there were ten thousand OF the poor of
France who followed her coffin, weeping and
walling until the air rang again, because,
when they lost Josephine they lost
their last earthly friend. Oh, who
Sould not rather have such obse-
jules than all the tears that were
ever poured in the lachrymals that have
been exhumed from ancient cities There
may be no mass for the dead; there may be
no costly sarcophagus; there may he no
elaborate mausoleum; but in the damp cell
lars of the city, and through the lonely huts
Of the mountain glen, there will bc mourn
ing, mourning, mourning, because Dorcas is
dead. blessed are the dead who die in the
Lord; they rest from their labors, and their
works do follow them"
speak 10 you of Dorcas the resurrected.
The apostle came to where she was and said:
Arise; and sho sat upr In what short
the great writer put thnt-"She sat
up" oh, whata time there must have been
around this town. when the apostle brought
her out among her old friends! How the
tears of joy must have started! What clap.
ping OF hands there must have beon! What
singing! What laughter Sound it all
through that lanel Shout il down that dark
alley Let all Joppa hear it Dorcas is res
You and have seen the same thing many
a time; not IA dead body resuscitated, but
the deceased coming up again after death in
the good accomplished. IL man labors up
to fifty years of age, serving God, and then
dies, we are apt to think that his earthly
work is done. No. His influence on earth
will continue till the world ceases. Services
rendered for Christ never stop. A Christian
woman tolls for the upbuilding of church
through many anxioties, through
many self denials, with prayers
and tears, and then she dies. II Is fifteen
years since she went away Now the spirit
of God descends upon that church; hundreds
of souls stand up and confess the faith Of
Christ, Has that Christian women, who
went away fifteen years ago, nothing TO do
with these things ] see the Towering out of
her noble heart. hear the echo of her foot
steps in all the songs over sins forgiven in
all the prosperity of the church. The good
that seemed 10 be buried has come up again
Dorcas is resurrected.
After while all these womanly friends
Of Christ will put down their needle forever.
After making garments for others some nns
will make garment for them: tho last robe
we ever wear-the robe for the grave. You
will have heard the last cry of pain. You
will have witnessed the last orphanage You
will have come in worn out from your last
round of mercy. l do not know where you
will sleep nor what your epitaph will he;
but there will be a lamp burning at that tomb
and an angel of God guarding IL, and through
all the long night no rude foot will disturb
the dust Sleep on, sleep on Soft bed,
IL