The southern argus., 1891-07-23
LESSONS OF VALUE.
DR., Talmage Discourses On the
Beauties Of Home Influences.
Remembrances Called Up BY Chairs Left
yacant-The Voices Of the Children the
Sweetest Music-Preparing For
the Future Home.

In late sermon at Lakeside, o., Rev.
T. Dewitt Talmage, Of Brooklyn, n. T.,
took for his subject "The Vacant
Chair, His text was from Samuel,
* Is: ''Thou shalt be missed, because
thy seat shall be empty" He said:
Set on the table the cutlery and the
chased silverware of the palace, for
King Saul will give state dinner tor
day. "A distinguished place is kept at
the table for his son-in-law, a celebrated
warrior, David by name. The guests,
ieweled and plumed, 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 vacant seat at the table. He
says within himself, perhaps audi
bly,: what does this mean? Where
is my son-in-law? Where is David,
the great warrior? I invited him. I
expected 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-law's
table. The day before Jonathan had
coaxed David to 60 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 emp
IT," 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 living per
sonalty. That picture-a stranger
would not see anything remarkable
either in it's 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 adj
mired it.
And that hymn book-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. And that bed-you remem-
Der who slept in 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
vacant chair. / suppose that before
Saul and his guests got up from this
banquet there was great clatter of
wine pitchers, but all that racket was
drowned out by the voices 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 presi-
dency, and at Henry Clay's vacant chair
in the American senate, and at Prince
Albert's vacant chair in Windsor castle,
and at Theirs vacant chair in the coun-
ellis Of the French nation; but all these
chairs are unimportant to you as com
pared with the vacant chairs i'm yonr
own household. Have these chairs any
lesson for us to learn? Are we any
better men and women than when they
first addressed us?
First, point out to you the fathers
vacant chair. Old men always like to
sit in 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:
Here, father, here's your chair The
probability is, it is an armchair, for he
IS not SO strong as he once was, and he
needs little upholding. His hair is
little frosty, his gums a little depressed,
for in his early days there was mot
much dentistry. Perhaps cain chair
and old-fashioned apparel for though
you may have suggested some improve
ment, father does not want any Of your
nonsense Grandfather never had much
admiration for new-fangled notions.
sat at the table Of one Of my parish
toner's in a former congregation; an
aged man sat at the table, and the son
was presiding, and the father somewhat
abruptly addressed the son and said:
NY son, don't now try to show off be-
cause the minister is here!" 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 eyes closed, he |
sat In the armchair in the corner. |
from the wrinkled brow to the tip of |
ms slippers, what placidity! The wave
OF the past years of his life broke at |
the foot of that chair. Perhaps, some
times he was little impatient, and
sometimes told the same story twice,
put over that old chair how many |
blessed memories hoverl I hope YOU
GID not crowd that old chair and that it |
did not get very much in the way.
sometimes the old mans chair gets very |
much In the way, especially if he |
mas been SO unwiSe as to make over all |
ms property to his children, with the |
understanding that they are to take
care Of him. have seen In such cases
tne children crowd the old mans chair
Y the door, and then crowd itclear into
the street. and then crowd into the
poorhousc, and keep on crowding II
until the old man fell out OF it into his
grave.
But your fathers chair was a sacred
place. The children used to climb ~
% the rungs Of it for good-n night kiss
md the longer he stayed the better you
iked It, Bnt that chair has been va
cant for some time. The furniture
dealer would not give You fifty cents
Tor Il, but it Is a throne of influence III
gour domestic circle. I saw IN the
French palace, and in the throne room
me chair that Napoleon used To occnnr