Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-07-24
DEPARTED VOICES CALL
TALMAcE breaches ANOTHER
STIRRING SERMON.

The Influence of Empty Chairs-Father's,
Mothers. Baby's. All Urge the Living
to Lead Better and Nobler L,vas-A
Powerful Appeal.
Dr. Ialmages subject was the eva.
cant Chalr,' and his text, Samuel Xxx.
IL, Thou shalt be missed, because thy
seat will be empty"
Set on the table the cutlery and the
chased slverware of the palace, for King
Saul will give state dinner to-day. A
distinguished place is kept at the table
Tor his Son-in-law, a celebrated warrior,
David by name. The guests, jeweled
ana plllmed, come in and take their
places. When people are invited to
Kings banquet they are very apt to go.
But before the covers are lifted from the
feast Saul looks around and finds a va
cant seat at the table. He says within
himself, perhaps audibly, "What does
this mean? Where is my son-in-law?
| Where is David, the great warrior?
invited him. expected him. What! a
vacant chair at the kings banquet!'
The fact was that David, the warrior,
mad been seated for the last time at his
father-n-law's table. The day before
Jonathan had coaxed David to 90 and
occupy that place at the table, saving to
David in the words of my text s'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 banquet
In almost every house the articles of
furniture take a living personality
Ihat plcture-a stranger would not see
anything remarkable either in its design
or execution, but it is more to you than
all the pictures of the Louvre and the
Luxembourg. You remember who bought
it and who admired it. And that hymn
book-you remember who sang out of it,
And that cradle-you remember who
rocked it, And that Bibe-you remem-
Der who read out of it. And that bed
you remember who slept it. And that
room-you remember who died in it.
But there is nothing in all your house so
eloquent and so mighty-voiced as the va
cant chair.
suppose that before Saul and his
guests got up from this banquet there
was great chatter of wine pitchers, but
all that racket was drowned out by the
voice that came up from the vacant
chair at the table. Millions have gazed
and wept at John Quincy Adams vacant
chair in the House of Representatives
and at Henry Wilson's vacant chair in
the Vice Presidency, and at Henry Clay's
vacant chair in the American Senate,
and and Prince Albert's vacant chair in
Windsor Castle, and at Theirs vacant
chair in the councils of the French ma
ton; but all these chairs are unimportant
to you as compared with the vacant
chairs in your own household. Have
these chairs any lessons for us to learn?
Are we any better men and women than
when they first addressed us?
First point out to you the fathers
5 vacant chair. Old men always like tic
, sit in the same place and in the same
chair. They somehow feel more q,
home, and sometimes when you are in
q their place and they come into the room
you jump up suddenly and say, ''Here
= father, here's your chair" The prob
= ability is, it is an armchair, for he is no
SO strong as he once was, and he need
: a little unfolding. His hair is a littl
: frosty, his gums Il little depressed, for il
Q his early days there was not much den
n tlstry. Perhaps a cane chair and old
q fashioned apparel. for though you may
9 have suggested some improvement, father
: does not want any of your nonsense
g Grandfather never had much admiration
: Tor new-fangled notions. l sat at thu
table of one of my pariShioners in 8
, former congregation; an aged man was
at the table. and the son was presiding
and the father somewhat abruptly adj
dressed the son and said, My son, DOM
now try to show off because the minister
is here
Your father never liked any new Gus
ha + l,n ,,1r
, way of doing things, and never looked
so happy as when with his eyes closec
} he sat in the armchair in the corner
From the wrinlllcd brow to the tip OF
the slippers, what pacidity! 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; but over that
old chair how many blessed memories
, hover! I hope you did not crowd that
old char, and that it did not get very
much in the way. Sometimes the ole
mans chair gets very much in the way
. especially ii he has been SO unwise as tc
make over all his property to his chill
dren with the understanding that they
, are to take care of him. l have seen il
such cases children crowd the old man:
chair to the door, and then crowd i,
clear into the street, and then crowd il
{ into the poor-house, and Keep on crowd
ing it until the old man fell out of it into
his grave.
But your fathers chair was q sacred
place. The children used to climb up OF
the rungs of it for a goodnight kiss anc
the longer he stayed the better he likec
it. But that chair has been vacant now
for some time. The furniture dealer
would not give you fifty cents for it. but
, it is throne of influence in your domes
tic circle. Isaw in the French palace
J and i'll the throne room, the chair tina
Napoleon used to occupy. 1t was F;
beautiful chair, but the most signiican
part of it was the letter IN" embroid
cred into the back of the chair in purple
and gold And your fathers cid chail
; Sits in the throne room of your heart
and your affections have embroidered
into the back of the chair in purple anc
!, gold the letter "F." Have all thu
prayers of that old chair been answered.
Have all the counsels of that old chair
been practced? Speak out! old arm
chair
History tells us Of an old man whose
three sons were victOrs in the Olympic