The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-10-03

latter glitter IN the firuament OF Gods word
like ccns.ellaticns with steady, cheerful.
holy light the former shoot like balefui mc-
teors across the terrified heavens ominous Of
war, disaster and death. IL there is n divine
power in the good mother, her face bright
with purity, an unselfish love beaming from
her eye, gentleness that by pangs and suffer-
ings and holy anxietiss has been
mellowing and softening for many
year, uttering itself in every syllable, dig
nifty 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
. perpetual benediction, her name our de
Tense when we are tempted. her memory an
outgushing well OF tears and congratulation
and Thanksgiving, her heaven n palm waving
and coronnl: then there is Just as great an
influence in the opposite direction in the
bad mother, her brow becouded with
ungoverned passion, her eye flashing
with unsanctifed fire, her lips the
fountain of fretfulness and depravity,
her example mildew and blasting, her
name disgrace 10 coming generations, her
memory signal for bitterest anathema her
eternity a whirlwind and suffocation and
darkness One wrong headed, wrong hearted
mother may ruin one child. and that one
child, grown up, may destroy hundred
people, and the hundred blast n thousand.
and the thousand n million The wife's
sphere is a realm of honor and power almost
unlimited. What blessing was Sarah to
abraham, was Deborah TO Lapidoth. was
Zipporah to Moses, was Huldah 10 Shalum.
There are multtudes OF men in tho
marts OF trade whose fortunes have
been the result OF wife's frugality.
Four hands have been achieving that
estate two at the store two at the
home. The burdens OF life are compare
lively light when there are other
hands 10 help us lift them. The greatest
difficulties have often skunk away because
there were four ewes To look them out OF
countenance. What care YOU for hard
knocks in the world as long as you have
n bright domestic circle for harborl
One cheerful word in the evening tide as
you come in has silenced the clnmor OF
unpaid notes and the disappointment Of poor
investments. Your table may he quite fru-
gally spread, but II seems more beautiful To-
you than many tables that smoke with veni-
son 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 reioiced at the same event,
they bent over the same cradle they wept mt
the same grave. In the evening they sit
quietly thinking Of the past, mother knitting
at the stand, father in his arm chair at tho
fire
Now and then n grandchild comes and
they look at him with affection untold and
come well nigh spelling him with kindnesses.
The life currents beat feeby I'm their pulses
and their work will soon be- done and the
Master will call A few short days may sep
arate them. but, not far apart In time Of de-
parture, 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 Lot their tombstones stand
alike marked with the same Scripture. Chill
dren and grandchildren will come In the
spring time 20 bring flowers The patrarchs
OF the town will come and drop n tear over
departed worth. Side by side Mt 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 do
mestic scenes not so Tranquil What n curse
to job and Potiphar were their companions,
to Ahab was Jezebel. 10 Jehoram was Atha-
Samson was Delilah While the most excel
lent and triumphant exhibitions Of character
We find among the women OF history, and the
world thrills with the names of Marie An
toinette and Josephine, and Joan of Arc and
Marin Theresa and hundreds of Others, who
have ruled In the brightest homes
and sung the sweetest cantos and en-
chanted the nations with their art and
swayed the mightiest of scepters
ON the other hand the names of Mary the
First of England Margaret of France. Julia
of Rome and Elizabeth Petrowna of Russia
have scorched the eve Of history with their
denominations, and their names like banished
spirits. have gone shreking and cursing
through the world. In female biography We
find the two extremes of excellence and crime.
Woman stands nearest the gate Of heaven or
nearest the door of hell. When adorned 10y
grace she reaches point of Christian eleva-
tion which man cannot attain, and when
blasted OF crime she sinks deeper than man
can plunge. Yet am glad that the instances
in which woman makes utter shipwreck Of
character are comparatively rare
But says some cynical spirit. what do you
do with those words in Eccesiastes 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 | find not; one man among a
thousand have found; but a woman among
all those have not found" Ny answer il
that il Solomon had behaved himself with
common decency and kept out Of Infamous
circles he would not have had so much
difficulty in finding integrity Of char
| acter 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 what he did that for said:
IL am looking for an honest man" Now
warrant that that philosopher who had
| such hard work 10 find an honest man was
himself dishonest. / think he stole both the
lantern and the tub. So when hear man
| cxpatating on the weakness of women, /
Immediately suspect him and say there IL
| another Solomon with Solomons wisdom
left out. Stll, | would not have the illus
trations I have given Of transcending excel
lency in female biography lead you 10 suppose
| that there are no perils in womans pathway
| Gods grace alone can make an Isabella
Graham, or Christina Alsop, or a Fidelia
Fske, or Catherine Of Siena. Temptations
lurk about the brightest domestic circle. 1t
was no unmeaning thing when God sat up
amidst the splendors Of His word the charac.
| ter of infamous Delilah.
Again, this strange story Of the text
| leads me 10 consider some of the ways in
which strong men get their locks shorn, God,
| for some reason best known 10 himself, made
the strength of Samson to depend on the
| length of his hair; when the shears clipped u
his strength was gone. The strength Of
men is variously distributed. Some
times it lies in physical development,
| sometimes in intellectual attainment,
sometimes in heart force, sometimes
in social position, sometimes in finan-
cial accumulation; and there is always
a sharp shears ready 10 destroy 1t. Every
day there are Samsons ungianted. / saw a
young man start in life under the most cheer