Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-10-10

with sword and spear. She could carry
off the iron gates of Samson's resolution
as easily as he shculdered the gates Of
GAIA The force that had killed the lion
which one day plunged out fierce from the
thicket utterly succumbs to the net which
Delilah weaves for the giant He who
had driven an army in riotous retreat
with the bleached jaw boue, shifting them
hip and thigh with great slaughter, now
falls captive at the feet of an unworthy
woman. Delilsh in the Bible stands in
the memorable company OF Adah and
Zillah and Bathsheba and Jezebel and
Athaliah and Herodias-
How deplorable the influence Of such in
contrast with .Rebecca and Phoebe and
Hulda and Tryphona and Jeptha's daugh-
ter and Mary, the mother of Jesus. While
the latter glitter in the armament of Gods
world like consultations with steady,
cheerful, holy light the former shoot like
baleful meteors across the terrific heavens,
Ominous of war, disaster and death. If
there is a divine power in the good mo-
Their, her face bright with purity, and IN
selfish love beaming from her eye, a
gentleness that by pangs and sufferings
and holy anxieties has been mellowing and
softening for many a year, uttering itself in
every syllable a dignity that can not be
dethroned, united with the playfulness
that will not be checked, her hand the
charm that will instantly take pain out of
the child's worst wound, her presence per-
petual benediction, her name our defense
when we are tempted, her memory an out
gushing well of tears and congratulation
and thanksgiving her heaven palm wav-
ing and a coronal; then there is just as
great an influence in the opposite direc-
tion in the bad moth er, her brow beclouded
with ungoverned passion, her eyes fash
in giwith unsanctified fire, her lips the fount-
ain of fretfulness and depravity, her ex-
ample mildew and a blasting, her name
disgrace to coming generations, her
memory a signal for bitterest anathema,
her eternity a whirlwind and a suffoca-
ton and darkness. One wrong headed,
wrong hearted mother may ruin one child,
and that one child, grown up, may destroy
a hundred people and the hundred bias. a
thousand, and the thousand million.
The wife's sphere is a realm of henor
and power almost unlimited. What a
blessing was Sarah to Abraham, was De-
borah to Lapidoth, was zipporah to
Moses, was Huldah to Stadium. There are
whose fortunes have been the result of a
wife's frugality. Four hands have been
achieving that estate, two at the store,
two at the home. The burdens of life are
comparatively light when there are other
hands to help US lift them. The greatest
difficulties have often skunk away because
there were four eyes to look them out OF
countenance. What care you for hard
r. h -, h. IL 1,
bright domestic circle for harbor! One
cheerful word in the evening tide as you
come in has silenced the clamor of unpaid
notes and the disappointment of poor in
vestments. Your table may be quite
frugally spread, but it seems more beauti-
full to you than many tables that smoke
with venison and blush with Burgundy.
Peace meets you at the door, sits beside
you at the table, lights up the evening
stand, and sings in the nursery. You
have seen an aged couple who for scores
of years have helped each other on in
life's pilgrimage going down the steep OF
years. Long association has made them
much alike. They rejoice at the same adj
vent they bent over the same cradle, they
wept at the same grave. In the evening
they sit quietly thinking of the past,
mother knitting at the stand, father in his
arm chair at the fire.
Now and then a grandchild comes and
they look at him with affection untold and
come well nigh spelling him with kind
ness. The life currents beat feebly in
their pulses and their work will soon be
done and the Master will call. A few
short days may separate them, but, not
far apart in the time of departure they
join each other on the other side the flood.
Side by side let Jacob and Rachael be
buried. Let one willow overarch their
graves. Let their tombstones stand alike
marked with the same Scripture. Children
and grandchildren will come in the spring
time to bring flowers. The patriarchs OF
the town will come and drop tsar over
departed worth. Side by side at the
marriage altar. Side by side in the long
journey. Side by side in their graves.
After life's fitful fever they slept well.
But there are, as my subject suggests,
| domestic scenes not so tranquil. What g
curse to Job and Potiphar were their COM
panions to Ahab was JeZebel, to Jehoram
was Athaliah, to John Wesley was Mrs
Wesley, to Samson was Delilah. While
the most excellent and triumphant ex-
hibition of character we find among the
women of history and the world thrills
with the names of Marie Antoinette and
Josephine, and Joan of Arc and Maria
Theresa and hundreds of others, who have
ruled in the brightest homes and sung the
sweetest cantos, enchanted the nations
with their art and swayed the migbtiest
of scepters, on the other hand the names
of Mary L, of England; Margaret, Of
France; Julia, of Rome. and Elizabeth
Petrowna, of Russia, have scorched the
eyes of history with their abominati
and their names, like banished spirits,
have gone shrieking and cursing through
the world. In female biography we find
the two extremes of excellence and crime
Woman stands nearer the gate of Heaven
or nearer the gate OF hell When adorned
by grace she reaches a point of Christian
elevation which man can not attain, and
when blasted Of crime she sinks deeper
| than man can plunge. Yet l am glad
that the instances in which woman makes
utter shipwreck of character are compare
lively snail.
But, says some cynical spirit, what do
you do with those words in Ecclesiastes
where Solomon says: Behold, this have
/ found, saith the preacher, counting one
by one to find out the account; which yet
my soul seeketh, but 1 find not; one man
among a thausand have 1 found; bat a
woman among all those have not found?'
Ny answer is that if Solomon had behaved
himself with common decency and kept
out of the infamous circles he would not
have had so much difficulty in finding in
tegrity Of character among women and
never would have uttered such TRADE.
Ever since my childhood / have heard
speakers admiring Diogenes the cynical
philosopher who lived in a tub, for going
through the streets of Athens in broad
daylight with a lantern, and when asked
nh at ha did that for said: II am link