The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-08-01
THE VACANT CHAIR.
Like All Other Household Articles,
1t Has a Living Per-
sonality.

It Is a Means Of Grace, An Incen.
tive to the Higher
LAKESIDE, O.,-ISpecial. DIR. Tai
mage preached here. His subject was
the Vacant Chair and his text I
Samuel ky, 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 to-
day. ga distinguished place is kept
at the table for his son-in-law, a cele-
brated warrior, David by name. The
guests, ieweled and plumed, come in
and take their places. When people
are invited to a kings banquet they
are very apt to go. But before the
covers are lifted from the feast Saul
looks around AMI finds a vacant seat
at the table. He says within himself,
perhaps audibIy: "What does this
mean? Where is my son-in-law?
| Where is David. the great warrior? [
invited him. l expected him. What!
a vacant chair at the kings banquet"
The fact was that David the war
rior, had been seated for the last time
at his father-in-law's table. The day
before Jonathan had coaxed Davidto
go and occupy that place at thetable,
saying to David in the words OF my
text. "Thou shalt be missed, because
thy seat will be empty" The predic-
ton was fulfilled. David vas missed.
His seat was empty. That one va
can't chair spoke louder than all the
occupied chairs at the banquet.
In almost every house the articles
OF furniture take a living personality.
That picture-a stranger would not see
anything remarkable either in it's de-
sign or execution, BUTT ismore toyou
than all the pictures ofthe Louvre and
the Luxembourg. You remember who
bought it, and who admired it. And
that hympbook-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 remember who died
in it. But there is nothing in all your
house so eloquent and SO mighty
voiced as the vacant chair. First, l
point out to you
THE GATHERS 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, IA
ther, here's your chair" The proba-
bility is. it is an armchair, for he is
not so strong as he once was, and he
needs little upholding. His hair is q
little frosty, his gums a little depressed,
for in his early days there was
not much dentistry. From the
wrinkled brow to the tip of the
slippers, what placidity! The 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 that old chair how many
blessed memories hover! hope you
did notcrowdt 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
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. l have seen in such
cases children crowd the old mans
| chair to the door, and then crowd it
| clear into the street, and then crowd
it into the poor house, and keep on
crowding it until the old mar fell out
of it into hisgrave.
Igo alittlo further on in your house,
and l find
THE MOTHERS CHAIR.
1t is very apt to be q rocking chair.
| She had SO many cares and troubles
to soothe that it must have rockers.
I rememberit we'll, it was anold chair,
and the rockers were almost worn out,
for | was the youngest, and the chair
had rocked the wholefamily. 1t made
a creaking noise Us itmoved, but there
was music in the sound. 1t was Just
high enough to allow us children to
put our heads into her lap. That
WtS UIc Utllh WllCIC VIC oCpOolCCd I'LL
our hurts and worries. Perhaps there
was about this chair more gentle
ness, more tenderness, more grief
when we had done wrong. When we
were maynard, father scolded, but
mother cried. 1t was q very wakeful
chair. In the sick days OF children,
other chairs could not keep awake;
that chair always kept awake-kept
easily awake. That chair knew all the
old iuliabies and all those wordless
songs which mothers sing to their sick
children-songs in which all pity, and
compassion, and sympathetic in
fuences are combined. That old chair
has stopped rocking for q good many
years. 1t may be set UP in the loft or
the garnet, but it holds q queenly
power yet. When at midnight you
went into that grog shop to get the in
toxicating draueht, did you not hear
a voice that said: "My son, why go
in there?" And louder than the bois-
ferrous encore of the place of sinful
amusemehts, a voice saying, "My son
what do you hear?" And when you
went into that house of abandonment
a voice saying. "What would your
motherdo if she knewyou were here?"
And you were provoked with your
self, and you charged yourself with
superstition and fanaticism and your
head got hot with your own thoughts,
on ry@,, rr,,,,t" h. r,o o-l va, ,,n,,f 70