Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-10-10

Y 5TEVTd JTTHTTId udIIg 4,
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 me-
teors across the terrified heavens. ominous of
war. disaster and death If there is 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 anxieties has been
melowing and softening for many a
year, uttering itself in every syllable, a dig
nifty that cannot 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
a perpetual benediction, her name our de
Tense when we are tempted, her memory an
outgushing well Of tears and congratulation
and thanksgiving, her heaven palm waving
and coronal: then there is just as great an
influence in the opposite direction in the
bad mother, her brow beclouded with
ungoyerned passion, her eye flashing
with unsanctified fire her lips the
fountain of fretfulness and depravity,
her example a mildew and blasting, her
name disgrace to coming generations her
memory a signal for btterest anathema. her
eternity 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 a thousand,
and the thousand IA million. The wife's
sphere is a realm of honor and power almost
unlimited. What a blessing was Sarah to
Abraham, was Deborah 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 a 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 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 you have
a bright domestic circle for harborl
One cheerful word in the evening tide
you come in has silenced the clamor of
unpaid notes and the disappointment of poor
investments. Your table may be quite fru-
gally spread but it 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 rejoced at the same event,
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 grandchd comes and
they look at him with affection untold and
come well nigh spelling him with kindnesses.
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 sep
arate them, but, not far apart in time of de
parture they Join each other on the other
- IL no Sfda nv ciIa Ar Jaroh anil
Rachel be buried. Let one willow overareh
their graves. Let their tombstones 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 viii come and drop 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 LIES
fitful fever they slept well.
But there are, as my SUBJECT suggests, do
nestle scenes not 50 tranquil. What curse
TO Job and Potiphar were their companions.
to Ahab was Jezebel to Jehoram was Atha-
lah. to John Wesley was Mrs. Wesley, to
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
Maria Theresa and hundreds of others, who
have ruled in the brightest homes
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 eye of history with their
denominations, and their names. like banished
spirits, have gone shrieking and cursing
through the world In female biography NE
find 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 eleva,
ton 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 Ecclesiastes where
Solomon says: Behold. this have ! found,
saith the preacher, counting one by one 20
find out the account; which yet my soul
seeketh, but / find not; one man among
thousand have l found; but woman among
all those have not foundy Ny answer is
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 adIniring
Diogenes, the cynical philosopher who lived
in a tub, for going through the streets Of
Athens in broad daylight with lantern,
and when asked what he did that for, said:
II am looking for an honest man. Now /
warrant that that philosopher who had
such hard work to find an honest man was
himself dishonest. l think he stole both the
lantern and the tub So, when ! hear a man
expatiating on the weakness of women,
Immediately suspect him and say there is
another Solomon with Solomon's wisdom
left out Still, | would not have the illus
lrations nave given of transcending excel
lency in female biography lead you to suppose
that there are no perils in woman's pathway.
Gods grace alone can make an Isabella
Graham, OF Christina Alsop, OF a Fidelia
Fisle, or Catherine of Siena. Temptations
Turk about the brightest domestic circle. 1t
was no urmeaning thing when God sat up
amidst The splendors of His word the charac-
ter of infamous Deliiah.
Again, this strange story OF the text
leads me to consider some of the ways in
which strong men get their locks shorn. God
for some reason best known to himself made
the strength OF Samson to depend ON the
length of his hair; when the shears clipped it
his strength was gone. The strength Of