Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
THE VACANT CHAIR.
The Subject of DR.. Talmage's Sermon
Last Sunday Near San
.dusky, Ohio.
Touching References to the Empty
Places of Dear Departed
Ones.
To Each of Us They Send Forth a
Silent Invitation Up
ward.

LAKESIDE, O., July 19.-For many years
people have gathered in muItitudes at this
season of the year for a great outdoor as
sembly. The grounds are a short sail
from Sandusky; the place beautiful be-
yond description. DIR. Talmage preached
this morning in this delightful place to a
vast multitude. His subject was the eva
cant Chair" and his text, [ Samuel Xxx, IS,
''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 today. A dis
tinguished place is kept at the table for his
son-in-law, a celebrated warrior, David by
name. The guests, jeweled and pIumed,
come in and take their places. When peo-
pie 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 vacant seat at the table. He
says within himself perhaps audibly:
"What does this mean2 Where is my SON
fn-lawP Where is David, the great war
rior? invited him. Iexpected him. What
vacant chair at the kings banquetw
The fact was that David, the warrior,
had been seated for the last time at his
father-in-law's table. The day before Jon
athan had coaxed David to 90 and occupy
chat 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 oc-
cupied chairs at the banquet
In almost every house the articles of fur
siture take a living personality That
MI I l.;
remarkable either in it's design or execu-
tion, but it is more to you than all the
pictures of the Louvre and the Luxem-
bourg. 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 Bible-you remember who read
out of it. And that bed-you remember
who slept in it. And that room-you re-
member who died in it. But there is
nothing in all your house SO eloquent and
80 mighty voiced as the vacant chair.
suppose that before Saul and his guests got
up from this banquet there was a 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 at Prince Albert's vacant 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 and women than when they
first addressed us?
FATHERS CHAIR.
First point out to you the fathers va
cant 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 sud
denly and say, Here father here's your
chair" The probability is it is an arm
chair, for he is not so strong as he once
was, and he needs little upholding His
hair is a little frosty, his gums little de-
pressed, for in his early days there was not
huch dentistry. Perhaps cane chair
and old fashioned apparel, for though you
may have suggested some improvement,
father does not want any of your nonsense.
Grandfather never had much admiration
for new tangled notions.
| sat at the table of one of my parish
toners in a former congregation; an aged
man was at the table, and the son was pre-
siding and the father somewhat abruptly
addressed the son and said, "My son. don't
nov try to show off because the minister
is herep' 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 the slippers
what placidityl The wave of the past years
of his life broke at the foot of that chair
Perhaps sometimes he was little impa
tient, and sometimes told the same story
twice; but over that old chair how many
blessed memories hoverl l hope you did
not crowd that old chair, and that it die
not get very much in the way.
Sometimes the old mans chair gets very
much in the way, especially if he has been
so unwise as to make over all his property
to his children, with the understanding
that they are to take care of him. | have
seen in such cases children crowd the ole
mans chair to the door, and then crowd il
clear into the street, and then crowd il
into the poorhouse, and keep on crowding
it until the old man fell out of it into his
grave.
But your fathers chair was a SACRED
place The children used to climb up or
the rungs of it for a good night kiss, anC
the longer he stayed the better you liked it.
But that chair has been vacant now fol
some time. The furniture dealer would
not give you fifty cents for it, but it is
throne of influence in your domestic circle
/ saw in the French palace, and in tn
throne room, the chair that Napoleon useC
to occupy. 1t was a beautiful chair, bu
the most significant part of it was the lette
an embroidered into the back of tn
chair in purple and gold. And your faith
er's old chair sits in the throne room o
your heart, and your affections have EN-
broidered into the back of that old chair il
purple and gold the letter "F." Have al
the prayers of that old chair been answer
ed? Have all Jhe counsels of that SD chat
been practiced? Speak out! old armchair.
History tells us of an old man who's
three sons were victors in the Olympi
games, and when they came back thes
three sons, with their garlands, put ther
on the fathers brow, and the old man wa
SO rejoiced at the victories of his thre
children that he fell dead in their arms
And are you, oh, man, going to bring
wreath of 10 and Christian usefulnes
and put it on your fathers brow, or on tn
vacant chair, or on the memory Of the on
departed? Speak out, old armchair! Wit
reference to your father, the words of m
text have bee fulfilled, Thou shalt
missed becau thy seat will be empty"
MoTHER'S CHAIR.
&C little further on in your house an
find the mothers chair. 1t is very apt t
be a rocking chair. She had so man
cares and troubles to soothe that it mu:
hor, rooLers Iremember it well. it w;