Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-03-20

A. ~ laurch~d n fhs uzcrunns VIM
fauzsly prayers = well ksaneh*sL hrea1-
fnss over. ~ family s<>Es-r. seine to
scnn<i. sc0a 70 ko1akolt dat1es. so<as
~ business Daring the day there VIII
b . sAounnnd psrils sbroad--pruis q tbs
s1x~es car. II tAs ss<f<osdias, a the un-
x,xernai kcrse. u ths misssrp. " tbs
azo<sesl senp<r. u mztfafsdinous temp
tssso<2 ~ ID wrong.
Sonewhsrs between : O'Clock IN tho
spor.ing spd - o'clnck - ntghA thsss
raay b mon>ns vhsn goa vtl1 b. IA
urEsns ns>d IL Gosl Besides thai. family
prayers viii b secular sdvAnsagA A
fasAer went lzso the war " serve h1s
country. lis children stzyo1 scd cul-
tivztsd the fzrm- lis vale pr~yea- Ono
ef ~ aEs SAD sfExx~rd "YGter Is
nxktinx. and 30 are digging. end no<A-
e h praying ALL ssid sosns ons.
praying &od disssng and fighting VII
twinS IA ouf Of ocr nstk1al troshleS'
We may pray IN tts usornans. Give
n rhss day cur daily brsad." ard Es
down IN id.snas and starve ~ death:
bat prayer and hard work win give .
livelihood T. any family. Family rsh-
gion pays for 18th worlds Let as have
an altar ia esch ons 81 our households.
You may not b sblo % formulate .
prayer. Then there are Philip Henry's
prayers. and these are McDutf-s prayers.
and there asc Phkftp Doddr res prayers.
and there xro the Epsscol&. saurch prsv-
ers. and there are scores OF books with
rnrphcstious just suited to the domestic
circle.
MOTHERS % ruR GOOD AND TIE Kvu-
"Oh." says some man. II don't feel
competent 10 Lead my household In pray
en-" Well. DO not know that il Il your
duty 10 lead l think perhaps IL Is
sometimes better for the mother Of tho
household 20 lead She knows better tho
wants Of tho household. She can read
tho Scriptures with more tender enun-
citation. Shs knows more OF God. Iwi'l
pus IL pl2ihly and say she prays better
on. these rhothers decide almost every
thing. Nero's mother was a rsurderess.
Lord Byron's mother was naughty and
impious. You might have guessed that
from their children.
Walter SCOTS mother was fond Of
poetry. Washington's mother was patri-
cite. Samuel Budgets mother was thor
ough CHRISTIAN st. Bernard's mother
was noble minded. So you might have
guessed from their children. Good men
always have good mothers> There may
once in 10 or 20 years be an exception to
the rule. but II is only an exception Ben
1amin 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 furlough 70
return from the army 70 his fathers
house. Afterward he took the furlough
back 20 the officer. saying. Il would hike
10 postpone my visit for two weeks" At
the end OF the two weeks no carne and
got the frrlough. lie was asked why he
waited WELL" he replied, when
left homo told my mother would be a
Christian in the army. and / was resolved
not to go horae until could answer her
first question Oh, the almost omnipo-
tent power If tho mother, But il both
the father ard the mother DO right. then
the children are almost sure to DO right.
Tho young people may make wide
curve from the straight path. but they
arc almost sure TO como back &c the right
road. II may not be until the death Of
one of the parents.
How often IL is that we hear some one
say. "oh. he was q wild young man. but
since his fathers death he has been diff
ferrntw Tue fact is that the fathers
coffin or the mothers coffin Is often tho
altar CT repentance for the child. Oh,
that was stupendons day. tho day Of
fathers burial. II was not the officiat-
ing clergyman who made the chief inn
preston. nor the syinpathizing mourn
eTG Il was the father asleep in the cas-
kct.
The hands that had toiled for that
household 80 long. folded. The brain
cooled OF after 20 OF 20 years Of anxiety
afont how 20 put that family in right
position. The lips closed after so many
years Of good advice. There are more
tears falling in mothers grave than in
fathers grave, but over the fathers
tomb think there l. kind Of awe. II
j. at that marble pillar many young
man has been revoluronized.
ANCESTRAL RELIGION.
Oh. young man with cheek flushed
with dis>ipse n. how long Is it since you
have been Cat 20 your fathers graveg
VIII yon not 60 this week. Perhaps tho
storms Of the last few days may have
bent tho headstone until il leans far
over. You had better 20 out and see
whether tho lettering has bean aeface.l.
You had better 60 ont and $50 whether
the gate II the lot i closed. You had
better 70 and see IL you cannot find a
sermon IN the springing grass. Oh. young
man. go out this week and see your IA
Tiers grave,
Religion did 80 much for our Christian
ancestry. are We not ready this morning
20 be wiling 10 rpceiveit into our own
households, II wa do receive il. let Il
come Through the front door. not through
the hack door. In other words. do not
let - anuggie Il in There ara a great
mary farlilies who want % he religions.
bat they DO not want anybody outside 70
know Il. They would b mortified t.
death II YOU cauuht them At family pray
ers. They wosld not anE IN he wur-
ship for fssr the nsighbors would hear
them. They DO not have prayers when
thy have rompany.
They ia not know much about the
nobility of the western trapper. A trav-
eisr going along was 0vertAken BY nigh.