The Red Cloud chief., 1891-07-31
LESSONS OF VALUE.
d.. Talmage Discourses on the
Beauties Of Home Influences.
Remembrance Called Up BY Chairs Left
Vacant-The Voices of the Children the
Sweetest housekeeping For
the Future Home.

PIN a late sermon at Lakeside, O.. Rev.
II levitt Talmage. of Brooklyn, n. Y,
took for his subject 'The Vacant
Chair" His text was from I Samuel,
xx. 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 a state dinner to-
day. A distinguished place is kept at
che table for his son-in-law, a celebrated
warrior, David by name. The guests,
jeweled and plumed, come in and take
their places. When people are invited
TO a kings banquet they are very apt
20 go. But before the covers are lifted
from the feast Saul hooks around and
finds a vaca1t 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? / invited him. /
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 Da,id TO go and occupy that
place at the table, saying to David in
the words of my text: Thou shalt he
missed, because thy seat will be emp
ty." 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 per-
sonalty. 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 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
ont of il. And that bed-you rcmem-
Der who slept in it. And that room
you remember who died i'm il. But
there is nothing In all your house SO
eloquent and SO mighty-voiccd as the
vacant chair. / suppose hat before
saul and his guests got up from this
DdhluCb thtft Nds a RFtdt CldtbtT VI
wine pitchers, but all that racket was
drowned out 10y 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 ut Henry Clay's vacant chair
in the American senate, and at Prince
Albert's vacant chair in Windsor castle,
and at Theirs va ant chair i'm the coun-
ellis of the French nation; but all these
chairs are unimportant 20 you as COM
pared 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?
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
-,mc, and sometimes when you are in
1ir place ard they come into the
= room, you jump up suddenly and say:
'~'lIere, father, here's your chair" This
HoDability is, it is an armchair, for he
Snot so strong as he once was, and he
needs n little upholding. His hair is n
little frosty, his gums a little depressed,
for in his early days there was not
much dentistry. Perhaps a 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 ncw-fanglcd notions.
| sat at the table of one of my parish
toner's in n former congregations; an
aged man sat at the table, and IN son
was presiding, and the father somewhat
abruptly addressed the son and said:
''My son. don't now try To show off be-
cause the minister is here!" Your
father never liked any ne customs or
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
his slippers, what placidity. h wave
of the past years of his life broke at
the foot OF that chair. Perhaps, some
times he was a little impatient, and
sometimes told the same story twice,
but over hat old chair how many
blessed memories hover! | hope you
did not crowd that old chair aud that 1T
did not get very much in the way.
Sometimes the old mans chair gets very
much in the way, especially II he
has been SO unwise as to make over all
his property to his children. with the
understanding that they are 10 take
care of him. have seenSiu such cases
the children crowd the old m5p's chair
to the door, and then crowd itcfear into
,he street, and then crowd into the
poorhouse. and keep on crowding 1t
until the old man fell out of itAnto his
But your father. cAsit-was a sacred
place. The chikffen used to climb mp
on the rungs/ki it for a goodnight kiss
and the lonysfhe stayed the better you
liked il. BHt- that chair has been va
caut for some time. The furniture
dealer would not give you fifty cents
for il, but it is a throne of influence in
your domestic circle. saw in the
French palace. and in the throne room.
the chair that Napoleon used TO occupy.
IL was a beautiful chair. but thc most
significant part of it was the letter IN"
embroidered into the back of the chair
in purple and gold And your fathers
old chair sits in the throne room of
your heart, and your affections have
embroidered into the back of that chair
in purple and gold the letter IF" Have
all th1 prsy.rs of that old chair been
answered. Have all the ~counsels of
that old chair been practiced? Speak
out, old armchair.
History tells us of an old man whose
three sons were victors in the Olympic
games and when they came back these
three sons. with their g~arlaudS put
them on the fathers brow and the old
man was SO rejoiced ut the victories
of his three children that he fell dead
in their arms And are You. . man,
going to bring q wreath of joy and
Christian usefulness and put it on your
fathers brow. or ON the vacant chair.
r on the memory of the one departed?
Speak ont. old armchair. With refer