Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1891-07-25


Mothers, Baby's: All Urge the LIvin:
to Lead Better and NobIer Lives-A
Powerful Appeal.
LAKESIDE, O., July 19.-For many
years people have gathered in multi
tudes at this season of the year for c
great outdoor assembly. The ground.
are a short sail from Sandus!Sy. The
place beautiful beyond description
DR.. Tnlnage preached this morning IL
this delightful place to vast multi
tude. His subject was the 'Vacan,
Chair and his text, ! Samuel Xxx. 10.
Thou shalt be missed. because thy
seat will be empty"
Set ON the table the cutlery and the
chased silverware of the paluce, fol
King Saul will give a state dinner to-
day. A distinguished plilce-is kept at
the table for his son-in-law. a cele.
DRAFTED warrior, David by maine. The
guests. jeweled and plulned. come in
and ttlke their places. When people
are invited to kings banquet they
are very apt to go. But before the
covers arc lifted from tile feast Saul
looks around and finds a vacant seat at
the table. He says within himself. per-
haps audibly. What does tlis meant
Where is my son-in-lawa Where is
David. the great warrior3 | invited
MIN expected him. WhatI vacant
chair at the kings banquet! !"
The fact was that David. the warrior.
had been seated for the lust time ut his
father,in-law's table. The day before
Jonathan had coaxed David to go 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 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
THE VACANT CHAIR
In almost every house the articles of
furniture take a living personality.
That pictnre--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 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 ont of
1T. And that bed-you remember WHO
slept in 1t. And that rooln-you re-
member 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 CHATTER of wine pitchers,
chair at-the table. Millions lave gazed
and wept at John Quincy Adams
vacant chair In the house Of represent
tat.ves, and at Henry Wilson'S vacant
chair in the vice presidency. and at
Henry Clay vacant chair In the Ameri-
can senate, and at Prince Albert's va
can't chair In Windsor castle, and at
Theirs vacant chair in the councils OF
the French nation; but all these chairs
are unilnportant to you as compared
with the vacant chairs in your own
household. Have these CHAIRS any les
sons for MS to Learnt Are we any bet
ter men and women than when they
first addressed us9
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 md 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 50 strong ashe once was, and ne
needs a little unfolding. His hair is a
little frosty, his gums u little depressed,
for In his early days there vas not much
dentistry. Perhaps cane chair and
old fashioned apparel, for though you
may have suggested some Improvement.
father does not want any OF your nom
sense. Grandfather never had much
admiration for new tangled notions. !
c,t nj the table of one of my parish
toners In former congregation; an
aged man was at the table, and the son
was presiding. and the father some
what abruptly addressed the son and
said, My son, don't now try to show
offbecause the minister Is herel
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 wrinzled brow to
the tip of tile slippers, what placidity
The wave Of the past years Of his life
broke at the foot OF that chair. Per-
laps sometimes lie was little llnpar
tent and sometimes told the same
story twice; but over that old chair
how many blessed memories hover! !
hope you did not crowd that old chair
md that it did not get very much IN
the way. Sometimes the old mans
chair gets very much in the way. espe-
cially if lie hns been SO unwise as to
make over oil his property to his chill
dren with the understanding that they
are to take care Of him. l have seen i'll
such cases children crowd the old mans
chair to the door and then crowd it
clear into the street, and then crowd 1t
into the poofhouse, and keep on crowd
ing it until the old man fell out Oh it
into bis grave.
A sAcl;ED PLACE.
But your fathers chair was sacred
place. The children used to climb up
y Id L.