The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-10-16

with unsanctifed fire, her lips the
fountain of fretfulness and depraVity,
her example mildew and blasting, ner
name disgrace to coming generations, ner
memory a signal for bitterest anathema, her
eternity whirlwind and a 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 Thousand,
and the thousand million. The wlfes
sphere is realm Of honor and power almost
Unlimited. What 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 tho 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 SUNK 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 harbor!
One cheerful word in the evening tide as
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 manv tables that smoke with veni-
son and blush with Burgundy. Peace meets
you at the door, sits beside you at tue 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 rejoiced 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 gr,ndchild comes and
they look at him with affection untold and
come we'll nigh spelling him with kinGlesses.
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
side the flood. Side by side let Jacob and
Rachel be buried. Let one willow overarch
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 will 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 hfes
ftful fever they slept well.
But there are, as my subject suggests, do
mestic scenes not SO tranquil. What curse
to Job and Potiphar were their companions,
to Ahab was Jezebel to Jehoram was Atha-
liah, 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, VINO
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 eye Of history with their
denominations, and their names, like banlshed
spirits. have gone shrieking and curslng
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 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 ShlpwrecK 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 to
find out the account; which, yet my soul
seeketh, but find not; one man among
thousand have found but woman among
all those have I not found% My answer is
that if 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 I have heard speakers admlring
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. I think he stole both the
lantern and the tub. So when l hear 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
trations have 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, or q Christina Alsop, OF Fidella
Fiske, 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 to consider some of the ways in
which strong men get their locks shorn. God.
1or some reason best Known 70 nlmser, 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
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 tinan-
cial accumulation; and there is always
sharp shears ready to destroy it. Every
day there ara Samsons ungianted. l saw
young man start in life under the most cheer
ing advantages His acute mind was at
home in all scientific dominious. He reached
not only all rugged attainmentS, but by deli
cate appreciation he could catch the tinge Of
the cloud and the sparkle Of the wave and
the diapason of the thunder. He walked
forth in life head and shoulders above others
in mental stature. He could wrestle
with giants in opposing systems of philosophy
and carry off the gates Of the opposing
schools and srnite the enemies of truth nip
and thigh with great slaughter. But he be-
gan to tamter with brilliant free-thinking
Modern theories of the soul threw over
him their Establishments. Skepticism was
tho Delilah that shore his locks off, and
all the Philist ines of doubt and darkness and
despair were upon him. He died in very
prison of unbnlief, his eyes out.
Far back in the country districts-just
where purposely omit to say-there was
born one whose fame will last as long as
American institutions His name was the
terror of all enemies of free government.
He stood, the admired of millonS the nation