The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-17
{ DAILY, ,stoA YEAR. !
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WEEKLY, i.25 A YEAR
TREATMENT OF PARENTS.
"a FOOLISH SON IS THE REAvI-
NESS OF HIS MOTHER"


sermon was preached this morning by DR..
Talmage in the academy of music, in which
his church is worshiping during the re-
building of the Brooklyn tabernacle, and
which will continue to be 50 occupied until
that edifice is completed After expound-
ing chapter describing Absalom's carriage
toward his father David, and the singing Of
an appropriate hymu, DR.. Talmage an
nounced as his text the words IA foolish
son is the heaviness of his mother" Prov.
10: j. lie said:
AL parents want their children to turn
out well However poorly father and
mother may have done themselves, they
want their sons and daughters to do splen-
didly. Up to forty years OF age parents
may have ambition for themselves, after
that their chief ambitions are for their
children. Some of the old-tIme names
indicate this. The mama of Abner means
''his fathers lamp" The name Abigail
means "her fathers joy.n And what q
parental delight was Solomon TO David,
and Samuel to Hannah, and Joseph to
Jacobl And the best earthly staff that
father has to lean on is a good son, and the
strongest arm a mother has TO help her
down the steep of years is that of a.
grateful child. But it is not g.
rare thing to find people un-
filial, and often the parents are themselves
to blame. Aged persons sometimes become
querulous and snappy, and the children
have their hands fun with the old folks.
Before entering my profession l was for
three months what is called a c9lporteur.
One day in the country districts i stopped
at the house Of good. intelligent, genial
farmer. The hospitality Of suca a country
house is especially pleasing to me. for was
born in the country. This farmer and bis
wife were hardworking people, but tried TO
make their home agreeable and attractlve-
The farmers father, about is years Of age,
aud his grandfather, about 80, were
yet alive and with him. Indeed, there
we've four generations in the house, for
the farmer had little Children playing
about the room. We gathered at the din
ing table. After the blessing was asked
the farmer put some OF the meat upon his
plate and courteously passed IL TO me, when
his father OF 65 years of age cried out to his
son, who was at least 80 years Of age: "Why
do you not pass the meat as you always do,
and let us take it Off the plate ourselvesf
You are trying to show off because we have
company" Meanwhile, his granfather OF
80 sat with his hat on at the table, his face
unclean, and his apparel untidy. Still tbs
farmer kept his patience and equipoise,
and / never think Of him without adnira-
tion. He must have had more grace than
ever had.
Because people are old they have no
right to be either ungentlemanly or un-
canny. There are old people 50 Disagree
able that they have nearly broken up soine
homes. The young married man with
whom the aged one lives, stands it, be-
cause he has been used to it all his life, but
the young wife, coming In from another
household, can hardly endure it, aud some-
times almost cries her eyes out And when
little children gather in the house they are
afraid OF the venerable patriarch, who has
forgotten that he ever was child himself.
and cannot understand why children should
ever want to play ''hIde and seek, or ron
hoop, or fly kite. and he becomes impa-
tient at the sound from the nursery, and
shouts with an expenditure of voice that
keeps him coughing fifteen minutes after
ward, "Boysi stop that racket" as though
any boy that ever amounted to ANYTHING
in the world did not begin life by making
a racket
Indeed, there are children who owe noth-
ing to their parents, for those parents have
been prohigates. My lamented friend, good
and christian and lovely Henry Wilson,
vice president OF the United Seates, in early
life changed his name. Henry Wilson was
not his original natne He dropped his
fathers name because that father was q
drunkald and a disgrace, and the son did
not feel called upon TO carry such carcass
all his life. While children must always be
dutifui, sympathizs with all young peo-
pie who have disagrseable or unprinciplei
old folks around tho house. Some of us,
drawing out of or memories, know that is
is possible, after sixty or seventy or
eighty or ninety years of age, for
the old to be Kind and genial; and
the grandest adornment of home is an
aged father and an aged mother, If the pro-
cess of years has melowed them. Besides
that, IL your old parents are hard 70 get
along with now, you must remember there
was a time when they had hard work to
get along with you. When you were about
5, or Z, or 10, or IL years Of age, what time
they had With youl Ii they had kept
written account of your early pranks and
misdoings, 1t would make whole volume.
That time when you gaveyour little sister q
clip; that time when you explored the depth
Of a jar OF sweet things for which you had no
permission; that havoc you one day made
with your jack-lxnife; that plucking from
the orchard of unripe fruit; that day when,
instead OF Icing at school, as your parents
supposed, you went a-tishing; and many a
time did you imperil your young life in
places where you had no business to climb
or swim or venture. To get you through
your first fifteen years with your life and
your good morals was a fearful draft upon
parental fidelity and endurance Indeed,
it may be that much OF this present phys
zeal aud menUal weakness in your parents
may have been q result of your early way
wardness. You made such large and sud-
den drafts upon the bank Of their patience
that you broke the bank. They we're
injured In being thrown willis
trying to break the colt. It is
a matter of only common honesty
that You pay back to them some Of the
long-suffering which they paid to you. A
father said to his son: 'Surely no father
ever had as Tad a boy as | have.n "Yes,s
said the son. "my grandfather had.n 1t IL
about the same from generation to genera
tion, and parents need TO be patient with
children, and children du iful to their
parents. Taxing it for granted that those
who hear me to-day have had a good
parentage, want t. urge upon all the
young the fact that the happiness and lon
gevity Of parents much depend upon the
right behavior OF their children, and can
do this no more effectually than by demon
strating the truth Of my text, "a foolish
son is the heayinees OF his mother.n
Perhaps some young man astray may be
brought back ty thought Of how they
feel about him at home. A French soldier
lay wounded and dying IN tee hospital ss
Geneva, Switzerland. His father at home,
10 years OF age, heard Of his sons suffering.
and started and took the long journey. and
found the hospital; and as he entered, the
son cried: 20, father am 80 glad you have
come 10 SEQ me die" mo- said fhe father,
lyon are not going To diat yotr mother II