Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-01-02

estial arrival No; the shepherds heard
the first two bars of the music, the first
in the major key and the last in the
subdued minor: "Glory to God In the
highest, and on earth peace, good will
to men" All, yes; the fields were hon.
ored.
The old shepherds with plaid and
crook have for the most part vanished,
but we have grazing-our United States
pasture fields and prairie about 5,oOO,.
600 Sheppard all their keepers ought
to follow the shepherds of my text and
all those who toll in fields all vine
dressers, all orchardists, all husband
men. Not only that Christmas night
but all up and down the worlds history
God has been honoring the fields.
Nearly all the messiahs of reform and
literature and eloquence and law and
benevolence. have come from the fields
Jefferson from the fields The president
ial martyrs, Garfield aud Lincoln, from
the fields. Henry Clay from the fields
Daniel Webster from the fields. Mar
tin Luther from the fields.
Before this world is right, the over
flowing populations OF our crowded
cities will have to take to the fields.
Instead of ten merchants In rivalry rs
to who shall sell that one apple, we
want at least eight OF them to go out
and raise apples. Instead of ten mer-
chants desiring to sell that one bushel
of wheat, we want at least eight OF
them to go out and raise wheat. The
world wants now more hard hands,
more bronzed cheeks, more muscular
arms. To the fields! God honored
them when He woke up the shepherds
by the midnight anthem, and He will,
while the world lasts, continue to honor
the fields
Behold, also, that on that Christmas
night God honored motherhood. Two
angels on their wings might have
brought an infant Saviour to Bethlehem
without Mary's being there at all;
when the villagers, on the morning of
December &c, awoke, by divine ar
rangement, and n some unexplained
way the Child Jesus might have been
found in some comfortable cradle Of
the village. But no, no! Motherhood
for all time was to be consecrated, and
one of the tenderest relations was to be
the maternal relation, and ono of the
sweetest words mother"
In all ages God has honored good
motherhood. John Wesley had good
mother; St Bernard had good mother;
Samuel Budget n good mother; Dod-
drige a good mother; Walter Scott
good mother; Benjamin West a good
mother. In great audience.
most OF whom were Christians. !
asked that all those who had been
blessed of Christian mothers arise, and
almost the entire assembly stood mp.
Don't you see how important it is that
all motherhood be consecrated? Why
did Titan, the Italian artist, when hs
slretched the madonna, make it an 1tal-
ian face? Whv did Rubens, the Ger
man artist, in his madonna, make it o
German face? Why did Joshua Rey.
nolds, the English artist, in his madon-
ma, make it an English face? Why did
Murillo, the Spanish artist, in his ma
donna, make it a Spanish face? l never
heard. but think they took their own
mothers as the type of Mary, the mother
of Christ. When you hear some one,
in sermon or Grafton, speak in the alb
stract of good, faithful, honest moth
er, your eyes ill up with tears, while
you say to yourself, that was my
| mother"
The first word child utters is apt to
be mother" and the old man. in his
dying dream, calls: Mother! mother"
It matters not whether she was
brought up in the surroundings of q
city, and in affluent home, and was
dressed appropriately, with reference
to the demands of modern life, or
whether she wore the old time cap and
great round spectacles, and apron Of
her own make, and knit your socks
with her own needles, seated by the
broad fireplace, with great log ablazs,
ON a winter night 1t matters not how
many wrinkles crossed and recrossed
her face, or how much her shoulders
stopped with the burdens of long life,
if you painted q madonna, hers would
be the face. What a gentle hand she had
when we were sick, and what,
a voice to soothe pain, and was there
any one who could SO fill up room
with peace and purity and light? And
what a sad day that was when we came
home and she could greet US not, for
her lips were forever still Come back,
mother, this Christmas day, and take
your old place, and as ten, or twenty,
or fifty years ago, come aud open the
old Bible as you used to; read and kneel
in the same place where you used to
pray, and look upon us as of old whe u
you wished us merry Christmas or q
happy New Year. But no! You had
troubles enough, and aches enough,
and bereavements enough while you
were here. larry by the throne,