The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-10-05

her eternity "a whirlwind and u suffoCa-
ton and a darku ess. 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 a million.
The wife's sphere is a realm Of honor
and power almost unlimited. What a
blessing was Sarah to Abraham, was De-
borah to Lapidoth, was Zipporah to
Moses, was Huldah to Shallum. There are
multitudes of men in the marts of trade
whose fortunes have been the result of n
wife's f~rugality. -Four bands nave 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
knocks in the world as long as you have a
bright domestic circle for harborl One
cheerful word in the evening tide as you
come in has silenced the clamor of unpaid
notes and the disappointment Of poor in
vestmenss.
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 sid 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
| firaa 90 Ir..r aA-a,. Tha ,ats.-Aha ~
the town will come and drop a tear 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 a
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 aud the world thrills
with the names of Marie A%ntoinette and
Josephine, and Joan of Arc and Maria
Theresa and hundreds of Others, who have
ruled in the brightest homes and sung the
sweetest c~antos, enchanted The nations
with their art and swayed the mightiest
of scepters, on the other hand the names
of Mary l., Of f gland; Margaret, of
France; Julia, of Rome. and Elizabeth
P~etrowna, of Russia, rave scorched the
eyes OF history with their denominations,
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 1 am glad
that the instances in which woman makes
utter shipwreck of character are compare
lively small.
But, says soms cynical spirit, what do
you do with those words in Ecclesiastes
where Solomon says: Behold, this have
l found, saith the preacher, counting one
by one to find out the account; which yet
my soul seeketb, but / find moi one man
among a thausand rave l found; but a
woman among all hose have / not foundpr
My answer is hat IL Solomon had behaved
himself with common decency and kept
out of the infamous circles he would not
rave had so much d fflculty in finding in
tegrity Of character among women and
never would have uttered such a TRADE.
Ever since my childhood l nave heard
speakers admlring Diogenes, the cynical
philosopher who lived in n tub, for going
through the streets of Athens in broad
daylight with a lantern, and when asked
what he did that for, said: II am look.
ing for an honest man." Now / warrant
that the philosopher who had suct
a hard time to find an honest maj
was himself dishonest. / him h,
stole both the lantern and the tub. So
when I hear a man expatiating on thu
weaknesses of women, | Immediately sus
n mot Wit WITH s eoIo6mon's wisdom left out.
Again, this strange story Of the tex
leads me to consider some of the ways II
which strong men get their locks shorn
God, for some reason best known to Him
self. mad the strength of s lmson to de
pend on the length of his hair; when the
shears clipped it his strength was gone
The strength of men Is v%ariously distrib
uted. Sometimes it lies in physical de
velcpment, sometimes in intellectual at.
tainment, sometimes in heart force, some
times in social position, sometimes IL
financial accumulation; and Their
is always a sharp shears read,
to destroy it Every day Their,
are Samsons u~ngianted. I saw
young man start in life under tn
most cheering advantages. His acut,
mine was at home in all scientific domin
ion. He reached not only all rugged at
tainments, but by delicate appreciation h
could catch the tinge of the cloud and the
sparkle of the wave aud the ~diapason Of
the thunder. He walked forth in life head
and shoulders above others in mental
stature He could wrestle with giants In
| nnnooin1 oustapna - .h;laannhu and Carru
of the gates of opposing schools and
smite the enemies of truth hip and thigh
with great slaughter. But he began to
tamper with brilliant free thinking.
Modern theories Of the soul threw over
him their Establishments. Skepticism was
the Delilah that shore his locks off and all
the Philistines Of doubt and darkness and
despair were upon him. He died in a very
prison of unbelief, his eyes out.
Far back in the country districts-jus
where i purposely omit to say-there was
born one whose fams will last as long as
American institutions. His name was the
terror OF all enemies Of free government.
he stood, the admired of millions; the
nation uncovered in his presence, and
when he spoke Senates sat breathless un-
der the spell. The plotters against good
government attempted to bind him with
green withes and weave his locks in a
web, yet he Wake forth from the thrall-
dom, not knowing he had burst a bond.
But from the wine cup there arose a de-
stroying spirit that came forth to capture
his soul. He drank until his eye grew
dim and his knees knocked together and
his strength failed. Exhausted with life
long designations, he went home to die.
Ministers pronounced eloquent eulogi-
um8. and nOeta sang and naipfara
sketched, and sculptors chiseled the ma
jestic form into marble, and the world
wept, but everywhere it was known thai
it was strong drink that came like the
infamous Delilah and his locks were
shorn.
From the Island of Corsica there started
forth a nature charged with unparalleled
energies to make thrones tremble and con.
vulse the earth. Piedmont. Naples, Ba-
varia, Germany, Italy, Austria and En-.
gland rose up to crush the rising man.
At the plunge Of his ~bayonets bastiles
burst open. The earth g~roaned with the
agonies of Rivoli, AusterlitZ, Saragosst
and Eylau. Five million men slain in hi:
wars. Crowns were showered at his feet
and kingdoms hoisted triumphal archer
to let him pass under, and Europe wal
lighted up at the conflagration of consum'
ing cities. He could almost have made q
causeway of human bones between Lisbon
and Moscow. M power short Of omnipres.
ent God could arrest him. But out of the
ocean of human blood there arose a spiriI
in which the coDqueror found more thar
a match. The very ambition that had
rocked the world was now to be his de-
stroyer. 1t grnsped for too much and IL
its efforts lost all. He reached up after