Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1889-10-04

carry OF the iron gates Of Samson's resoiu
ton as easily as he shouldered the gates of
GAIA. Tho force that had killed the lion
which one day plunged out fierce from the
s:iieEet utterly s1ccumbs TO tic sslken net
which Dellah weaves for the giant. He who
had driven an army in riotous retreat with
the beached jaw bore, shifting them hip and
nj fhs with great slaughter, now falls captive
in the BIDS 9n unworthy woman. Delilah
pany Of Adah, and 2 the memorable COM
and rJezebel, and Athaliah, al, bathsheoa,
How deplorable the influence of stoGlas-
contrast with Rebecca and Phoebe and HUI
dab and Tryphona and Jephthas daughter
and Mary, the mother Of Jesus. While the
latter glitter in the armament Of Gods word
like consultations with steady, cheerful, holy
light, the former shoot like baleful meteors
across the terrified heavens, ominous Of war,
disaster and death II there Is a divine pow
er in the good mother, her face bright with
purity, an unselish love beaming from her
eye, q gentleness that by pangs and suffer
ings and holy anxieties has been mellOwing
and sOfteniug for many year, uttering itself
in every syllable, dignity that cannot be
dethroned, united with the plaYfulness that
will not be checked, her hand the charm
that win instantly take pain out of
the childs worst wound, her presence n per
petual benedicton, her name our defense
when We are tempted, her memory an out
gushing well of tears and congratulation and
thanksgiving, her heaven a palm waving
and a coronal; then there is just as great an
influence in the opposite direction in the bad
mother, her brow beclouded with ungov-
erned passion, her eye flashing with INSANE
titled fire, her lips the fountain Of fretfulness
and dspravity, her example mildew and a
blasting, her name a disgrace to coming gen
eratiops, her memory a signal for bitterest
anathema, her eternity whirlwind and a
sulfocation 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 blast a thousand, and the
thousand a million. Tho wifcs sphere is a
realm Of honor and power almost unlimited.
What blessing was Sarah TO Abraham, was
Deborah to Lapidoth, was Epporah to Moses,
was Huldah 10 Shallunl. There are multi
tudesof men i'm the marts of trade whose
fortunes have been the result Of a wife's fru-
gality. -Four hands have been achieving
that ostate-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 counteuance. What care
you for the hard knocks in the world as long
as YOU have a bright domestic circle for har-
bor2
One cheerful word in the evening tide as
you come in has silenced the clamor of I'M
paid notes and the disappointment Of poor in
vestncnts Your table may be quite frugally
spread, but it seems more beautiful 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 nur-
sery. You have seen an aged couple who for
scores of years have helped each other on in
lifes pilgrimage going down the steep Of
years Long association has made them
.sIuoh alike They rejoiced 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 knit
ting at the stand, father in his armchair at
the fire.
Now and then grandchild comes home
and they look at him with affection untold
and come well nigh spelling him with kind
nesses. The lifo currents beat feebly in their
pulses and their work will soon be done and
the Master VIII call a few short days may
separate them, but, not far apart in time of
departure, they join each other on the other
side the food Side by side let Jacob and
Rachel be buried Let one willow overarch
their graves Let their tonbstones stand
alike marked with the same Scripture. Chill
dren and grandchildren will come In the
spring time to bring flowers The patriarchs
Of the town will come and drop tear over
departed worth. Side by side at the mar
riage altar Side by side in the long journey.
Side by side in their graves After life's fit
full fever they slept well
GOOD AND Dad WOMEN
But there are, as my subject suggests, do
nestle scenes not SO tranquil. What a curse
to Job and Potiphar were their companions,
to Ahab was Jezebel, to Jehoram was Atha-
Hah, to John Wesley was Mrs Wesley, to
Samson was Delilah. While the most ex-
cellent and triumphant exhibitions Of char
acter 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 tho brightest homes
and sung the sweetest cantos and enchanted
the nations with their art and swayed the
mightiest OF scepters, on the other hand the
names Of Mary tho First Of England. Marga-
ret Of France, Julia Of Rome and Elizabeth
Pemowna Of Russia have scorched the eye
of history with their denominations, and
their names, like banished spirits, have
gone shrieking and cursing through
the world In female biography we
End the two extremes Of excellence and
crime. Woman stands nearest the gate OF
heaven or nearest the door of hell When
adorned by grace she reaches point Of
Christian elevation which man cannot at
tain, 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 rare.
YOU WILL FIND GOOD PEOPLE If GOOD YOUR
SELF
But, says some cynical spirit, what dc
you do with those words in Ecclesiastss where
solomon says; Behold. this fave 1 found,
saith the preacher, counting one by one, tc
fad out the account: which yet my soul seek
eth, but / find not: one man among a thou
sand have ! found but woman among al
those have l not found" Ny answer is, that
if Solomon had behaved hiriself with com
mon decency and kept cut Of infamous circles
b. would not have had SO much difficulty il
uutlLlE Integrity OF EAliAt dtlgL GitlDlE WoIlGA
and never would have uttered such tirada
Ever since my childhood / have heard speak
ers admiring Diogenes, the cynical philosO-
phor who lived in tub, for going through
the STREETS Of Athens in broad daylight with
a lantern, and when asked what he did that
for, said; Il am looking for an honest man.
Now, warrant that that philosopher who
had such hard work to find an honest man was
himself dishonest. think he stole both the
lantern and the tub So when hear man
expatiating ON the weaknesses Of woman /
Immediately suspect him and say; There is
another Solomon with Solomon's wisdom left
ont Still would not have the illustrations
have given Of transcending excelleney in
female biography lead you to suppose that
there are no periis ii wonian's pathway.
Gods grace alone can make an Isabella Ora
ham, or a Christina Alsop, or Fidelia
Fisle, or a Catherine Of Siena. Temptations
llrk about the brightest domestic circle. 1t
was no unmeaning thing when God set up
amidst the splendors Of his word the charac-
ter Of Infamous DeliAh