Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-20
THE VACANT CHAIR.
REV. DR. TALMlGgS SERMON on THAT sue
ssSTVB SUPJEOE
he Tells About Those We Miss Most and Draw
Some Conclusions That Should Lead PsO-
pie to Live Better Lives.
SpaciaI T.I.nranl . he R.nialer.

tudes at this season OF the year for q
great outdoor Assembly. The ground:
are a short sail from Sandnsky. The
place beautiful beyond description. DR.
Talmage preached this morning in thi:
delightful place to vast multitude,
His subject was the Vacant Chair, and
his text, 1 Samuel 90 : IS f." Thou shalt
be missed, because thy seat will be
empty"
Set on the table the cutlery and the
chased silverware OF the palace, for
King Saul will give a state dinner To-
day. A distinguished place is kept al
the table for his son-in-law, celebrated
warrior, David by name. The guests,
!ewelled and plumed, come in and take
their places. When people are invited
TO a kings banquet, they are very spt
10 60. But before the covers are lifted
from the feast, Saul looks around and
He says within himself, perhaps
audibly, "What does this mean ?
Where Is my son-in-law? Where is
David. the great warrior? 1 invited
him. Iexpected him. What a vacant
chair at the kings banquet" The fact
was that David. the warrior, had been
seated for the last time at his father-in-
laws table. The day before Jonathan
had cOaxed David to go and occupy that
place at the table, saying TO David In
the words Of my text, Thou shalt be
missed, because thy seat will be empty"
The prediction was fulfilled David
was missed. His seat was empty.
That one vacant chair spoke louder
than all the occupied chairs at the ban
quet.
In almost every house the articles of
furniture takes a living personality,
That picture-a stranger would not see
anything remarkable either in its design
or execution, but IL is more to you than
all the pictures Of the Louvre and the
Luxembourg. You remember who
bought 10, and who admired 1t. And
that hymnbook-You remember who
sang out Of it. And that cradle-you
remember who rocked it. And that
Bible-yOu remember who read out OF
it. Aud that bed-yOu remember who
slept In Il. And that rOOm-you re-
member who died in it. But there Is
nothing in all your house so eloquent
and so mighty-volced as the vacant
chair I suppose that before Saul and
his guests got up from this banquet
there was a great clatter Of wine-pitch-
ers, but ali that racket was drowned out
by the voice that came up from the va
cant chair at the table. Millions have
gazed and wept at John Quincy Adams
vacant chair in the House OF Represen-
natives, and at Henry Wilson's vacant
chair in the Vice-Presidency and at
Henry Clay's vacant chair in the Amer
lean Senate, and at Prince Albert's va
cant chair In Windsor Castle, and at
Theirs vacant chair In the councils OF
the French nation; but all these chairs
are unimpOrtant to you as compared
with the vacant chairs In your own
household. Have these chairs any lesson
for US TO learn? Are we any better
men or women than when they first ad
dressed US?
TIE FATHERS VACANT CHAIR.
First, I point out to you the fathers
vacant chair. Old men always like to
sit i'm the same place and in the same
chair. They somehow feel more at
home, and sometimes when you are In
their place and they come into the
room, you jump up suddenly and say,
ssHere. father, here's your chair" The
probability is 1t is an armchair, for he
is not so strong as he once was, and he
needs little unfolding. His hair Is
little frosty, his gums little depressed,
for in his early days there was not
much dentistry. Perhaps cane chair
and old-fashiOned apparel, for though
YOU may have suggested some improve
mept. father does not want any
OF your nonsense. Grandfather
never had much admiration for
new-fangled notions. l sat at the
table Of one Of my parishioners In
former congregations an aged man was
at the table. and the son was presiding,
and the father somewhat abruptly ad-
dressed the son and said: "My son, don't
now try TO show of because the minister
h herer' Your father never liked any
new customs or manners; he preferred
the old way of doing things, and he
never looked so happy as when, with his
ewes closed, he sat in the armchair In
the corner. From the wrinkled brow to
the tip OF the slippers, what placidity!
The wave OF the past years OF his life
broke at the foot Of that chair. Perhaps,
sometimes he was little impatient, and
sometimes told the same story twice;
lint over that old chair how many
blessed memories hoverl l hope you
did not crowd that old chair, and that
IL did not get very much in the way.
Sometimes the old mans chair getsv
much I'm the way, especially II he has
been so unwise as TO make over all his
property to his children, with the under
standing that they are to take care OF
him. I have seen in such cases children
crowd the old mans chair to the door,
and then crowd II into the poOrhouse,
and keep on crowding IL until the old
man fell out Of 1t into his grave.
But your fathers chair was a
scored place. The children used to
climb up on the rungs OF it for
a goodnight kiss, and the longer
he STAYED the better you liked 1t.
But that chair has been vacant
now for some time. The furniture deal
or would not give you fifty cents for 1t,
hut Il is a throne OF influence In your do
nestle circle. saw in the French pal
ace. and In the throne room, the chair
that Napoleon used to occupy. 1t was a
beautiful chair, but the most significant
Dart Of IL was the letter ''N" embroid-
Erred into the back Of the chair In pur-
Dle and gold. And your fathers old
chair sits in the throne room Of your
heart and your affections have en-
broIdered into the back Of that chair in
nnrple and gold the letter Of" Have
All the prayers Of that old chair been
answered. Have al the counsels OF thai
old chair been practiced? Speak out
ola armchair. History tells Us Of an ole
man whose three sons were victors II
the Olympic games, and when they
came back these three sons, with theil