The Grenada sentinel., 1893-08-26
A GREAT WOMAN.
Rev. Dr.. Talmage Discourses ON
the influence Of Woman.
1er Indueuce Potential for Good-Chris.
tisn Hospitality Ono Of Her Shin.
Ing virtues-I0okiag After the
Lords Messengers.

Lords Messenger.
The following discourse was deltv
cred recently by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
mage on the subject "A Great Woman.
1t is founded on the text:
And It fell ON day that Elisha passed t.
Shunem. where was great woman.-II. Kings
w.. q.
The hotel of our time had no coun
ferpart in any entertainment Of older
time. The vast majority of traveller
must then be entertained at privat,
abode. Here comes Elisha, servant
of the Lord, on a Divine mission, ant
he must find shelter. A balcony over
looking the valley of Esdraelon il
Offered him in private house, and il
is especially furnished for his occu
pancy-a chair to sit on, table from
which to eat, candlestick by which
to read, and q bed on which to slum'
ber, the whole establishment belong
ing to great and good woman.
Her husband, it seems, was a godly
man, but he was entirely overshadowed
by his wife's excellencies; just as now
you sometimes find in household the
wife the center of dignity and influ-
ence and power, not by any arrogance
or presumption. but by superior intel
lect and force of moral nature WELD
ing domestic affairs, and at the same
time supervising all financial and busi-
ness affairs. The wife's hand on the
shuttle ON the banking house, on the
worldly business. You see hundreds
of men who are successful only be-
cause there is reason at home why
they are successful.
If a man marry good. honest soul,
he makes his fortune. If he marry a
fool, the Lord help him. The wife may
be the silent partner in the firm, there
may be only masculine voices down on
exchange, but there oftentimes comes
from the home circle potential and
elevating influence.
This woman of my text was the su-
pcrior of her husband. He, as far Us l
can understand, was what we often see
in our day, man of large fortune and
only modicum of brain, intensely
quiet, sitting long while in the same
place without moving hand or foot-if
you say YES" responding "yes"-if
You say mo-" responding 'no'-inane,
eyes half shut, mouth wide open, main.
tanning his position in society only be-
cause he has a large patrimony. But
his wife, my text says, was great
woman.
Her name has not come down to u.s.
She belonged to that collection of
people who need no name to distin-
guish them. What would title of
Duchess or princess, or queen-what
would escutsheon or cleaning dia-
dem be to this woman of my text,
who by her intelligence and her be-
havior challenges the admiration of all
ages? Long after the brilliant women
of the court of Louis XIV. have been
forgotten. and the brilliant women of
the court of Spain have been forgot.
ten, and the brilliant women who sat
on the mighty thrones have been for
gotten, some grandfather will put on
his spectacles, and holding the book the
sther side the light. read to his grand
children the story of this great woman
Of Shunem, who was so kind, and
courteous, and Christian to the prophet
Elisha. Yes she was great woman.
In the first place, she was great in
her hospitalities. Uncivilized and bar
barous nations honor this virtue. Jupi-
ter had the surname of the hospitable,
and he was said to especially avenge
the wrongs of strangers. Homer ex-
.tolled it in his verse. The Arabs are
punctilious upon this subject, and
among some of their tribes it is not un-
ill the ninth day of tarrying that the
occupant has right to ask his guest:
-'Who, and whence art thou?' If this
virtue is so honored even among bar.
barians how ought it to be honored
among those of us who believe in the
Bible, which commands us to use hos
pitality one toward another without
grudglng.
OF course, do not mean under this
cover to give any idea that approve
of that vagrant class who go around
from place to place ranging their
whole lifetime, perhaps under the
auspices of some benevolent or phi
lanthropic society, quartering them.
selves on Christian families, with
great pile of trunks in the hall and
'carpet-bag portentous of tarrying.
There is many country parsonage
that looks out week by week upon the
ominous arrival of wagon with creak-
ing wheel and lank horse and dilapi-
dated driver, come under the auspices
of some charitable institution to spend
a few weeks and canvass the neighbor-
hood. Let no such religious tramps
take advantage of this beautiful virtue
of Christian hospitality.
mot so much the sumptuousness Of
your diet and the regality of your
abode will impress the friend or the
stranger that steps across your thresh.
old, as the warmth of your greeting,
the infornatity of your reception, the
.reiteration by grasp and by look and
by thousand attentions, insignificant
\ attentions. by your earnestness Of wei.
come. There will be high appreciat tion
of your welcome, although you have
nothing but the brazen candlestick and
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