The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-03-22

will be secular advantage. A father
went into the war to serve his country.
His children stayed and cultivated tho
farm. His wife prayed. One OF the
sons said afterward: Father is fight
ing and we are digging, and mother is
praying" "Ahl" said some one, pray
ing and digging and fighting will bring
us out of our national troubles" We
may pray in the morning: "Give me
this day our daily bread" and sit down
In idleness and starve to death; but
prayer and hard work will give liveli-
hood to any family. Family religion
pays for both worlds Let us have an
altar in each Of our householdA You
may not be able to formulate prayer.
Then there are Philip Henrys prayers,
and there are McDuff's prayers and
there are Philip Doddridge's prayers,
and there are the Episcopal church
prayers, and there are scores of books
with supplications just suited to the
domestic circle. tat..a g..
"0hl" says some man, 81 don't feel
competent to lead my household in
prayer" Well, do not know that It
is your duty to lead. l think perhaps
1t is sometimes better for the mother OF
the household to lead. She knows bet
ter the wants Of the household. She
can read the Scriptures with more
tender enunciation. She knows more
Of God. will put it palmer, and say
,1
decide almost everything Nero's
mother was murderess. Lord Byron's
mother was naughty and impious. You
might have guessed that from their chill
dren. Walter Scotts mother was fond
of poetry. Washington's mother was pa
triotic. Samuel Budgets mother was
thorough Christian. st, Bernard's
mother was noble-minded So you
might have guessed from their chill
dren. Good men always have good
mothers There may, once in ten or
twenty years be an exception to the
rule; but it is only an exception. Ben
| jamin Vests mother kissed him after
she had seen his first wonderful sketch
with the pencil Benjamin West after
ward said, THAT kiss made me
painter"
A young man received a furlough to
return from the army to his fathers
house Afterward he took the furlough
back to the officer saying: II would
like to postpone my visit for two
weeks" At the end of the two weeks
he came and got the furlough. He
was asked why he waited. "Well," he
replied, "when / left home told my
mother / would be a Christian in the
army, and l was resolved not to go
home until / could answer her first
question" o, the almost omnipotent
power Of the motherl But II both the
father and the mother be right, then
the children are almost sure TO be right
The young people may make wide
curve from the straight path, but they
are almost sure TO come back to the
right road. Itmay not be until the death
OF one Of the parents. How often 1t is
that we hear some one say: 20, he was a
wild young man, but since his fathers
death he has been differentp The fact
Is that the fathers coffin, or the moth
er's coffin, is often the altar Of repent.
ance for the child. Obi that was a stu
pendous day, the day of fathers burial.
1t was not the officiating clergyman
who made the chief impression, nor the
sympathizing mourners: 1t was the IA
ther asleep in the casket The hands
that had toiled for that household SC
SO long, folded The brain cooled of
after twenty or forty years Of anxiety
about how to put that family in right
position. The lips closed after 80 many
years of good advice. There are more
tears falling in mothers grave than in
fathers grave; but over fathers tomb
think there is kind of awe. 1t is al
that marble pillar many young mar
has been revolutionized.
o, young man with cheek flushed with
dissipation how long Is 1t since you
have been out TO your fathers gravel
viii you not go out this week? Per
haps the storms Of the last few day,
have bent the headstone until 1t leani
far over. You had better go out ant
see whether the lettering has been de
faced. You had better go out and sec
whether the gate Of the lot is closed
You had better go out and sec II yor
cannot find sermon in the springinG
grass o, young man! go out this weel
and sec your fathers grave. Religion
did 30 much for our Christian ancestry
are we not ready this morning to b,
willing to receive 1t into our own house
holds? II we do receive II, let 4
come through the front door, no
through the back door. In other words
do not let us smuggle it in. There ar
great many families who want to b,
religions, but they do not want any
body outside TO know 1t They woult
be mortified to death II you caugh
them at family prayers. They woult
not sing in the worship for fear thei
neighbors would hear them. They
do not have prayers when they hav,
company. sls
They do not know much about th,
nobility Of the western trapper.
traveller going along was overtalen b,
night and a storm, and he entered |
cabin. There were firearms hung nj
around the cabin He was alarmed
He had large amount Of money will
him, but he did not dare to venture ou
into the night and storm He did no
like the looks Of the household Afte
awhile the father, the western trapper
came in, gun on shoulder, and whei
the traveller looked at him he was still
more affrightened After awhile tn,