The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-03-28
PARENT AND CHILD.
That was the Subject Upon
Which Talnlage Preached
his Last Sermon
The Parental Grief That is
Caused by the Ingratitude
of Children.

Caused by the 1ngratitude
of Children.
BRookLYN, special-A'tsr expuunding q
chapter describing Absaloms cnrriage to.
ward his father David, and the singing Of an
appropriate hymn, DR.. Talmage announced
as his text the worlds "A foolish son il the
heaviness Of his mother" Prov. T., 1. He
said,
All parents want their children to turn out
may have done themselves. they want their
sons aud daughters to do splendidly. Up to
~ years of age parents may have ambitions
tor Themselves. after that their cllief ambi.
tiona are for their children. Some Of the
old time names in iicate this. Tie nnme Of
ASner sSil, means Ibis fathers lamp" The name
yhat parental delight Was Solomon to
David, and Samuel TO Hannah, and Joseph
to Jocobl And the best earthly staff thnt q
father has to lean on is good son, and the
strongest arm mother has to help her down
the steep Of years Is that of a grateful child
But 1t ie not a rare thing to find people un.
t8Iiai. and often the parents are thsmseives to
blame. Agsd persons sometimes become
luerulous and snappy. and tho children have
their hands full with the old folks Before en-.
tering my profession was for three months
what Is called q colporteur. Ono day in the
country districts ! stopped at the house of
good. intelligent, genial fnrmor. The hos.
pitailty of snch n country house is especially
pleasing to me, for was born in the country.
This farmer and his wife were hard working
people, but tried to make their homo agree.
able and attractive. The farmers iather,
enont sixty-tve years of age, and his grand
iather, about ninety. were yet alive and with
him Indeed, there were four generations
in the house. for the farmer had little chill
dren playing about the room. We gathered
at the dining table. After the blessing was
asked the fdrmer put some Of the meat upon
his plate md courteoualy passed 1t to me,
when his father Of sixty-fvs years of nge
cried out to his son. who was ut least thirty
meat as you always do, and lot us take it oil
the plate ourselveH You are trying to show
on bscause We have company" Meanwhile
his grandfather of ninety sat with his hat ON
at the table. his face uncIean. and his apparel
untidy. Still the fnrmer kept hia paticnce
and equipoiae, and never think Of him with.
out admiration. He must have had more
grace than ever had.
Because people arc old they have no right
to DO either ungentlemanly or uncanny.
There are old peoples no otlisagreeahle TINT hey
nave nearly broken up some homes The
young married man with whom the ngod one
. lives atands II because he has been used to
1t nll his life. hut the. young wife,
coming in from another household. can
hardly endure 1t, and sometimes almost cries
her eyes out. And when littls children gath.
or In tho house, they are n raid of the vener.
able patriarch. who has forgotten that heever
was a child himself, AMI cannot under
derstand why children should ever want to
play "hide and spet. or roll hOOp, or fly
ho hopp inn, 10,
from the nursery. and he shouts with an px.
penditnre of voice that keers him coughing
Is minutes afterwards. boys! stop That
racket" as though any hoy that ever
amounted to anything in the world did not
begin life by.mnking a racket!
Indeed, there arechil,lren who owe nothing
to their pnrents, for those parents have been
Erofigotes. Ny lnmented friend. good and
=, Christian and lovely Henry Wilson, vice.
president of tho United States. in early II Q
changed his name Henry Wilson was not
his Original name. lie droppe,l hi1
fathers nnme because that inther was
Q drunkard and disgrace. and the son
eass NIL his life. While children must always
be dntiui. | sympathize with I'LL young IHo-
pie who have disagreeuhlc or unprinciplpd
old folks around tn. honsr Some Of us,
drawing out ofour memories. know that II il
possible. after go or 40 or 40 or 30 years Of
ngr. for the old to he kim and genial: anti
the grnndest adornmrnt Of " home in mn
aged tather ind an aGel mother, il the pro.
cess o! years has melloweL them. Besides
Tint. If your old parents are hard to get
along with now, you must remember there
was time when they had hard work to get
along with YOU. When yod were about 5 or
2 or 10 or 12 years Of age what time they
had 70 get along with you lfthey had kept
written account of y0ur early pranks and
misGoiirs. it would make whole volume
That time when you give your little sister
clip; that time when vou explored the
depth of jar Of aweet things for which you
had no permission: that havoc you one day
made with yourjack- knife; that pluckin from
the orchard ofunripe fruit; that day when,
instend Of being Mt school, as your parents
supposed. you went u fishing: and many u
time did you imperil your young lie in places
where you had no business to climb or swim
or venture. To get you through you, first
IL years with your life and your good morals
was fear ul draft upon parental fidelity and
endurance. Indeed, it may he tha, much of
this present physical and mental weakness in
your patents mny have been u result of your
early waywardnesa You made such large
nnd henvy drafts upon the band oi their
patience that you broke the bnnk They were
injured in being thrown while trying to break
in the colt. 1t is a matter Of only common
honesty that you pay back to them some OF
III.
A !nther said to his son: ''Snrely no father
ever hnd as bad boy Ms have" "Ycs, +"
said the son, my grandfather had" II is
about the same rom generation to genera.
tion. md parents need to be patient with
children, and children dutiul to their par.
ents. Taking it for granted thnt those who
hear me to-day hive had good parentage. ]
want tourge upon all tile young the fact that
the happiness and longevity OF parents much
depend upon the right iehayior Of their
children, md can do this no more effectual.
" than by demonstrating the truth of my
text. "A foolish son 10 tho heaviness OF his
mother" Perhaps some young man astrny
they feel about him at home. French
soldier lay wounded and dying in the hospit-
al at Geneva, Switzerland. His fnther, at
home seventy yenrs Of age. heurd of his son q
suffering, and started and took the long jour
ney, and found the hospital; and as he enter.
you have come to nee me die" mo" said
the father; you are not going TO die; your
mother 10 waiting for you. and am going
to take you home; have brought you
money md everything you need" "No," !"
said the soldier, "they give me here every
thing that is nice to en-. but have no appe-
tita. and must die" Then the father took
as the plain people u his country ate. nn1
said, Here ia n lo,G Of bread your mott
mnde, a:d Lam TN sure vou cnn eat
she sent it to you. Then the soldier llJ
ened up and took Il! bread and ate
said, ut 10 no good ..,s-breal fro1
the bread that my mother nnde!
that In Il few days he had re .oYs1
man wounded in the battle&d
couraGed. given up by yours
by Others, the old folks at TN
side have not given you up.
brend from home. 1t mny be
but 1t is that bread Of which 81 a III
never again shall hunger. Bread 1!
Brend from home! Carrying out tho
my text, remark that reckless y
pated son makes a heavy hearted pare
cause it hurts the family pride. II 10 NOT
given name or the name which you rece
ut tho christening that is injured
your prodigality. You cannot hurt 20
or Frances or Rnciel, because there hn
been thousands Of people, good and ba
having those names. and you cannot i
prove or depreciate the respectnbility
; those given names. but it 10 your last nnI
your iamily name that u at your ME-
All who benr that nnme are bound. h
God und man. not to domags its hnpp;
nitlcance. You are charged. by all th
erations OF the past md all the genera
to come. to do your share for the n
tion md the honor and the integrity d
name. You have no right, my young
by bad life to blot tue old iamily
continuing tho RtOrv Of the Inuri