The Princeton union., 1891-08-13

gall to drink, no buruens to carry, no
battles to fight.
Again, I learn from my subject that
events which seem to be most in
significant
| MAY BE NlOMENToUs.
Can youimagine anything more unim-.
portant than the coming OF poor
woman from Moab to Judea? Can
you imagine anything more trivial
than the fact that this Ruth Just
happened to alight-as they say-just
happened to light on that field OF
Boaz? Yet all ages, all generations
have an interest in the fact that she
was to become the ancestress OF the
Lord Jesus Christ, and all nations
and kingdoms must look at that one
little incident with a thrill OF unspeak-
able and eternal satisfaction. So tits
IN your history and in mine; events
that you though OF no Importance at
al have been OF very great moment.
Inc casual conversation, that acci-
dental meeting-you did not think of
1T again for a long while; but how it
changed the current OF your life!
Again, l see in my subject an illus
tration Of the beauty OF female indus
try. Behold Ruth toiling in the
harvest field under the hot sun, or at
noon taking plain bread with the
reapers, or eating the parched corn
which Boaz handed to her. The
customs Of society, Of course have
changed, and without the hardships
and exposure to- which Ruth was
subjected, every intelligent woman
will find something to do. I know
there is a sickly sentimentality on
this subject. In some families there
are persons OF no PRACTICAL service to
the household or community; and
though there are so many woes all
around about them in the world, they
spend their time languishing over a
new pattern, or bursting into tears at
midnight over the story ofsome lover
who shot himself! They would not
delgn to look at Ruth carrying back
the barley on her way home to her
mother-ln-law, Naomi. All this fas-
tldlousness may seem to do very we'll
while they are under the shelter of
their fathers house; but when the
sharp winter OF misfortune comes,
what Of these butterflies?
Madame de Stael did a world of
work in her time; and one day, while
She was seated amid instruments of
music, all Of which she had mastered,
and amid manuscript books which
she had written, some one said to her:
GLOW do you find time to attend to.
all these things?" "Oh,' she replied,
these are not the things I am proud of.
My chief boast is IN the fact that I
have seventeen trades, by any one of
which | could make livelihood if
necessary. And if in secular spheres
there is so much to be done, in spirit
ual work how vast the field! How
many dying all around about us with
out one word OF comfort! We want
more Abigails, more Hannahs, more
Rebeccas, more Marys, more Deborahs
consecrated-body, mind, soul,-to
the Lord VINO bought them.
Once more I learn from my subject
THE VALUE OF CLEANING.
Ruth going into that harvest field
might have said: "There is a. straw,
and there is a straw, but what is a
straw? can't get any barley for myself
ormy mother-in-law out of these separ-
ate straWs." Not SO said beautiful
Ruth. She gathered two straws and she
put them together, and more straws,
until she got enough to make sheaf.
Putting that down, she went and
gathered more straws, until she had
another sheaf, and another and
another and another, and then she
| brought them all together, and she
threshed them out, and she had an
epah OF barley, nigh a. bushel Oh.
that we might all be cleaners!
Elihu Burritt learned many things
while toiling in blacksmiths shop.
Abercrombie, the world owned
| philosopher, was a physician in Scot
land, and he got his philosophy, or
the chief part OF it, while, as a physi-
clan, he was waiting for the door of
the sickroom to open. Yet how many
there are in this day who say they
are SO busy they have no time for
mental or spiritual improvement; the
great duties of life cross the field like
strong reapers, and carry off all the
hours, and there is only here and
there a fragment left, that is not
worth cleaning. All. my friends, you
could 60 into the busiest day and
busiest week of your life and find gold
en- opportunities, which, gathered,
might at last make a whole shaaf for
the Lords garner. 1t is the stray
opportunities and the stray privileges
which, taken up and bound together
and beaten out, will at last fill you
with much Joy.
The Care of the Hair.
The hest yav t0 oaro far Tho 1,o;,, ;e