Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1891-07-25

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in purple and gold the letter 81
Have all the prayers of that old chair
been answered. Have all the counsels
of that old chair been practiced9 Speak
out! old armchair.
History tells us of an old man whose
three sons were victors in the Olympic
games; and when they came back, these
three sons, with their garlands, put
them on their fathers brow. and the
old man was so rejoiced ut the victories
of his three children that be fell dead
in their arms And are you. 0 man.
going to bring u wreath of Joy md
Christian usefulness and put it OH your
fathers brow, or on the vacant chair,
or on the memory OF one departedi
Speak out. old arlnchairl With refer
ence to your father. the words OF my
text haye been fulfilled. Thou shalt
be missed. because thy scat will be
empty"
MOTHERS CLAIR
go u little further on in your house
and find the motlier's CHAIR 1t Is
very apt to I've a rocking chair. She
had 30 many cares and troubles to
soothe that it must have rockers. re-
member it we'll It was an old chair.
and the rockers were almost worn out,
for WAS the youngest, and the chair
had rocked the whole family. 1t made
a creaklng noise as 1t moved, but there
was music In the sound. It was Just
high enough to allow us children to put
our heads into her lap. That was the
bank where we deposited all our hurts
and worries ALL what chair that
was 1t was different from the fathers
chair; it was entirely different. You
ask me how. I cannot tell, but we all
felt it was different Perhaps there
was about this chair more gentleness.
more tenderness. more grief when we
had done wrong When we were way
ward father scolded, but mother cried.
1t was very wakeful chair. In the
sick days of children other chairs could
not keep awake; that chair always
kept awake-kept easily awake. That
chair knew all the old lullabies and all
those wordess songs which mothers
sing to their sick children-songs in
which all pity and compassion and SYM
pathetic influences are combined.
That old chair has stopped rocking
for good many years. 1t lnuy be set
up in the loft or the garnet, but 1t holds
a queenly power yet. When at mid
night you went into that grog shop to
get the Intoxicating draft, did you not
hear voice that said, My son, why
go In thero9" And louder than the
boisterous encore OF tie place Of sinful
amusement, voice saying, My son,
what do you do hercT' And wien You
went into the house OF abandonment.
a voice saying, What would your
mother do if she knew you were herer
And you were provoked with yourself,
and you charged yourself with super
stlton and fanaticism and your head
got hot with your own thoughts, and
bed tllana voice said "WhaJ q prayer
less pillow Mani what is the matterT
This. You are too near your mothers
rocking chair.
''Oh, pshawi" you say THERE'S
nothing In that; TIN Ave hundred miles
or from where was born; I'm three
thousand miles off from the church
whose bell was the first music | ever
heardSs9s. cannot help that; you are
too fear your mothers rocking chair.
ooh" you say. "thore can't be my
thing In that; that chair has been va-
cant great while" lcannot help that;
it is all the mightier for that; it Is ON
nipotent, that vacant mothers chair.
1t whispers. it speaks, 1t weeps, 1t
carols, it mourns. 1t prays, it warns.
it thunders. A young man went OF
and broke his mothers heart, and while
he was away FROM home his mother
died, and tho telegraph brought the
son, and he came into the room where
she lay and looked upon her face, and
he cried out: .Ol. mother! niotherl
what your life could not do your death
shall effect. This moment ] give my
heart to God" And he kept his promise.
Another victory for the vacant chair.
With reference to your mother, the
words of my text were fulfilled, Thou
shalt be missed. because thy seat viii |
be empty"
AN 1NvAL1D's USEFULNESS.
l 90 on little further, and come |
to the invalid's chair. What! How
long have you been sicka "Oh. have
been sick ten, twenty, thirty years.
is It possible2 What story OF endur-
'ancel There ore In many of the falni-
lies Of my congregation these invalids
chairs. The occupants Of them think
they are doing, no good In the world.
but that inva1id's chalr Is the mighty
pulpit from which they have been
preaching, all these years, trust in God
The. first time preached here at Lake
side, Ohio, amid the throngs present
there was nothing that so much inn-
pressed Inc ms the spectacle OF JUST one
face-the face of an invalid who was
wheeled in Oh her chair. said to her
afterward, Madam, how long have
you been prostrated1' for she was lying
Hat in the clair. "Oh," she replied.
II have been this way fifteen years.
said. DO you suffer very muchT
''Oh, yes" she said. Il suffer very
much. suffer all the time. Part OF
the time was blind | always suffer
well" said, .'can you keep your
courage upG" "Oh, yes, she said. II
am happy, very happy, indeed Her
face showed it. She looked the hap
piest OF any one on the ground.
Oh, what a means of grace to the
world, these invalid chairs. On that