Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1891-07-23
DEPARTED VOICES CALL
TALMACE breaches ANOTHER
STIRRING SERMON.
The influence of Empty Chairs-Father's'
Hother's, Baby's. All Urge the Living
+o Lead Better and Nobler Lives-A
Powerful Appeal


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 siIverWare of the palace, for King
Saul will give state dinner to-day A
distinguished place is kept at the table
for his son-in-law, q celebrated warrior,
David by name The guests, jeweed
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 q va
cant seat at the table. He says within
himself, perhaps audibly, '"Nhat 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 coaxcd David to go and
occupy that place at the table, saying to
David in the words of my text, Thou
shalt lie 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.
In almost every house the articles of
furniture take a living personality.
That picturo-a stranger would not see
ANYTHING remarkable either in its 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 remem-
Der who read out of it. And that bed
you remember who slept lit. 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 va
can't chair.
l suppose that before Saul and his
guests got up from this banquet there
was 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 al Henry CLAWS
vacant chair in the American Senate,
and and Prince Albcrt's vacant chair in
Windsor CASTLE and at Theirs vacant
chair in the councils of the French ma
ton; but all these chairs are unmportant
to you as compared with the vacant
chairs in your own household. Have
these chairs any lessons 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 arc in
their place and they come into the room,
you jump up suddenly and say, ''Here,
father, here's your chair" The prob
ability is, it is an armchair. for he is not
SO strong as he once was, and he needs
a little upholding. His hair is a little
frosty, his gums little depressed, for in
his early days there was not much dem
tistry. Perhaps cane chair and old
have suggested some Improvement 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 parishioners in a
former congregations; an aged man was
at the table. and the son was presiding,
and the father somewhat abruptly ad-
dressed the son and said, my son, don't
now try to show off because the minister
is here!''
Your father never liked any new Gus
toms or manners; he preferred the old
way Of doing things, and 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 placidity The wave
Of the past years Of his life broke at the
foot Of that chair. Perhaps sometimes
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 not crowd that
old char, aud that it did not get very
much in the way. Sometimes the old
mans chair gets very much in the way,
especially it he has been so unwise as to
make over all his property to his chill
dren with the understanding that they
are to take care of him. 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 crowd
ing it until the old man fell out of it into
his grave.
But your fathers chair was q sacred
place. The children used to climb up Oh
the rungs Of it for goodnight kiss, and
the longer he stayed the better he liked
it. But that chair has been vacant now
for some time. The furniture dealer
would not give you fifty cents for it, but
it is throne of influence in your domes-
tic circle. | saw in the French palace,
and in the throne room, the chair that
Napoleon used to occupy. 1t was a
beautiful chair, but the most significant
part Of it was the letter 'N' embroid-
cred into the back of the chair in purple
and gold. And your fathers cid chair
sits in the throne room of your heart,
and your affections have embroidered
into the back of the chair in purple and
gold the letter "F." Have all the
prayers of that old chair been answered?
Have all the counsels of that old chair
been practiced? Speak out. old arm
chair.
History tells us of an old man whose
three sons were victors in the Olympic
games: and when thny came hack these