Milford chronicle., 1891-07-24


First l 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 little frosty, his gums a little de-
pressed, for in his early days there was 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 nonsense
Grandfather never had much admiration
for new tangled notions.
l sat at the table of one Of my parish
toner's 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
now try to show of because the minister
is here" 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, ne
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 hoveri 1 hope you did
not crowd 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 il
clear into the street, and then crowd it
Unto the poorhOuse, and keep on crowdlng
! It until the old man fell out Of it into his
grave.
place. The children used to climb mp on
the rungs of it for good night kiss, and
the LONGER he stayed the better YOU 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 a
throne Of influence in your domestic circle
| l saw in the French palace, and in tbs
! throne room, the chair that Napoleon usaq
/ to occupy 1t was q beautiful chair but
the most significant part Off was the letter
"N' embroidered into the back Of the
chair in purple and gold And your faith
er's old chair sits in the throne room OF
your heart, and your affections have en-
broidered into the back Of that old chair g
purple and gold the letter f." Have all
the prayers of that old chair been answer
edg Have all the counsels Of that old chan
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 garlands, put them
on the fathers brow, and the old man was
80 rei0iced at the victories Of his three
children that he fell dead in their arms
And are YOU, OH man, going to bring Q
wreath of JOY and Christian useiulnes'
and put it on your fathers brow. or on the
vacant chair, or on the memory Of the one
departed? Speak out, old armchair VIII
reference to your father, the words OF ml
ltext have been fulfilled, Thou shalt b
missed, because thy seat will be empty.
MOTHERS CHAIR.
LOO a little further on in your house anc
7 find the mothers chair Il is very apt Il
be a rocking chair. She had so many
cares and troubles to soothe that u mus
have rockers. remember it well; It wa
An old chair, and the rockers were almos
worn out, for was the youngest, and III
chair had rocked the whole Family.
made breaking noise as it moved; bu
there was music in the sound. It was jus
high enough to allow US children to pu
our heads into her lap. That was the ban
whore we deposited all our hurts and VOL
ries. Ali what chair that was. It wa
different from the fathers chair; it was eT
tirely different You ask me hows ! car
not tell; but we all felt it was ditfel
emit. Perhaps there was about this chat
more gentleness, more tenderness, NOR
GRIEF when we had done wrong. When "
were wayward father scolded, but mothe
cried. It was a very wakeful chair. /
the sick days Of children other chah
could not keep awake; that chair aiway
kept awake-'kept easily awake, The chai