Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-02

b0e greatest JfluInpnS III III ayes duU lauuej
1 set down the conquests Of the needle. l
admit its crimes; l admit its cruelties. 1t
has had more martyrs than the fire; it has
punctured the eye; it has pierced the side;
it has struck weakness into the lungs; it has
sent madness into the brain; it has filled the
potter's field; it has pitched whole armies
of the suffering into crime and wretehed-
ness and woe. But now that am talking
of Dorcas and her ministries to the poor, 1
shall speak only of the charities of the
needle.
A TRUE, wo1IANLY LEADER.
This woman was q representative of all
those women who make garments for the
destitute, who knit socks for the barefooted,
who prepare bandages for the lacerated, who
fix up boxes of clothing for missionaries,
who go into the asylums Of the suffering and
destitute bearing that Gospel which is sight
for the blind, and hearing for the deaf, and
which makes the lame man lean like hart,
and brings the dead man to life, immortal
health bounding in their pulses. What a
contrast between the practical benevolence
of this woman and great deal of the char
ity of this day! This woman did not spend
her time idly planning how the poor of
your city of Joppa were to be relieved; she
took her needle and relieved them. She
was not like those persons who
sympathize with imaginary sorrows,
and go out in the street
and laugh at the boy who has upset his
basket of cold viciuals, or like that charity
which makes rousing speech on the benev-
olent platform, and goes out to kick the
beggar from the step, crying: Hush your
miserable howlingP' The sufferers of
the world want not so much theory
as practice; not so much tears as dol
lars; not SO much kind wishes as loaves
of bread; not so much smiles as shoes;
not so much "God bless Yous!" as jackets
and froeks. will put one earnest Chris
tian man, hardworki1g, against five thou
sand mere theorists on the subject of charity.
There are a great many who have fne ideas
about church architecture who never in
their life helped to build church. There
are men who can give you the history of
Buddhism and Mohammedanism, who never
sent a farthing for their evangelization.
There are women who talk beautifully about
the suffering of the world, who never had
the courage like Dorcas to take the needle
and assault it.
GOOD WOMEN IN ALL HISTORY.
am glad that there is not page of the
worlds history which is not record of
female benevolence. God says to all lands
mite rattle down into the poorbox. 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 some persons un-
Justly incarcerated in the prisons, went out
amidst the rabble and took a 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,
the wife of Henry 1, went down amidst the
poor and washed their sores and administered
to them cordials. Mrs. Retson, at Mata-
gorda, appeared on the battlefield while the
missiles of death were flying around, and
cared for the wounded. Is there a man or
woman who has ever heard of the Civil Warm
America who has not heard of the women
of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions,
or the fact that. before the smoke had gone
up from Gettysburg and South Mountain,
the women of the North met the women of
the South on the battlefield, forgetting all
their animosities while they boHnd up the
wounded, and closed the eyes of the slain?
Dorcas the benefactress.
1 come now to speak of Dorcas the
lamented. When death struck down that
good woman, oh, how much sorrow there
was in this town of Joppa! 1 suppose there
were women here with larger fortunes,
women, herhaps, with handsomer faces; but
there was no grief at their departure like
this at the death of Dorcas.
IT WAS A GREAT GRIEF.
There was not more turmoil and upturn-
ing in the Mediterranean sea, dashing
against the wharves of this seaport, than
there were surgings to and fro of grief be-
cause Dorcas was dead There are great
many who go out of life and are unmissed.
There may be very large funeral; there
NAV be great many carriages and plumed
hearse; there may be high-sounding eulogi-
ums; the bell may toll at the cemetery gate;
there may be very fine marble shaft reared
over the resting place; but the whole thing
may be falsehood and sham. The church
of God has lost nothing, the world has lost
1t is only nuisance abated; it is
only grumbler ceasing to find fault; it is
only an idler stopped yawning; it is only
dissipated Acknowledgment from his wine
cellar; while, on the other hand, no useful
Christian leaves this world without being
missed. The church of God cries out like
the prophet: "Howl, fir tree, for the cedar
has fallen" Widowhood comes and shows
the garments which the departed had made.
Orphans are lifted up to look in the calm
face of the sleeping benefactress. Re
claimed vagraney comes and kisses the cold
brow of her who charmed it away from sin,
and all through the streets of Joppa there
is mouruing-mourning because Dorcas is
dead.
When Josephine of France was carried
out to her grave there were a great MANY
men and women OF pomp and pride and po-
sition that went out after her; but am most.
affected by the story of history that on that
day there were 10, 900 of the poor of France
who followed her coffin, weeping and wall
ing until the air rang again, because, when
they lost Josephine, they lost their last
earthly friend.
THE TRUEST LAMENTATIONS.
Oh, who would not rather have such OBJ
sequies than all the tears that were ever
poured in the Iachrymals that have been ex-
humed from ancient cities. There may be
no mass for the dead; there may be no costly
there may be no elaborate
but in the damp cellars of the
city, and through the lonely huts of the
glen, there will be 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"
1 speak to you of Dorcas the resurrected. |
The apostle came to where she was and said: |
Arise; and she sat upr' In what a short |
compass the great writer put that-"She sat |
up!" Oh, what time there must have been |
around this town, when the apostle brought |
her out among her old friendsl How the |
tears of joy must nave startedI What clap
ping of hands there must have been! What |
Singingl What laughterl Sound it all |
through the lanel Shout it down that dark |
alleyl Let all Joppa hear It'll Dorcas is
You and I have seen the same thing many |
a timei not a dead body resuscitated, but
the deceased coming up again after death in