Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1893-03-25
AcooMAc G. n, Va SATURDAY MARCH Is, 1893

livelihood to any family. Family reli-
gion pays for both worlds. Let us have
an altar in each one of our households.
You may not be able to formulate a
prayer. Then there are Philip Henrys
prayers. and there are McDutf's prayers,
and there are Philip Doddridge's prayers,
and there are the Episcopal church pray
ers, and there are scores of books with
supplications just suited to the domestic
circle.
MOTHERS OF THE GOOD AND THE EVIL.
"Oh," says some man, Il don't feel
competent to lead my household in pray
er." Well, do not know that it is your
duty to lead. think perhaps it is
sometimes better for the mother of the
household to lead. She knows better the
wants of the household. She can read
the Scriptures with more tender enun-
citation. She knows more of God. Twill
put it plainly and say she prays better.
Oh, these mothers decide almost every
thingl Nero's mother was murderess.
Lord Byron's mother was naughty and
impious. You might have guessed that
from their children.
Walter Scott's mother was fond Of
poetry. Washington's mother was patri-
otto. Samuel Budgets mother was a thor
ough Christian St. Demands mother
was noble II inded 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 tits only an exception. Ben
iamin 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, 81 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 q
Christian in the army. and was resolved
not to go home until could answer her
first question" Oh, the almost omnipo-
tent power CT the motheri But if 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 1t may not be until the death OF
one of the parents.
How often it is that we hear some one
say, "Oh, he was wild young man. but
since his fathers death he has been diff
ferentr The fact is that the fathers
coffin or the mothers coffin is often the
altar of repentance for the child. Oh,
that was stupendous day, the day Of
fathers burial. 1t was not the officiat-
ing clergyman who made the chief i'm
preston, nor the sylnpathizing mourn
ers 1t was the father asleep in the cas-
ket.
The hands that had toiled for that
household SO long. folded. The brain
cooled off after 90 or 40 years of anxiety
about how. to put that family in right
position. The lips closed after SO many
years Of good advice. There are more
taa * In iino in other, grave than in
tomb think there is kind Of awe. 1t
is at that marble pillar many young
man has been revolutionized.
ANCESTRAL RELIGION.
Oh, young man with cheek flushed
with dissipation how long is it since you
have been out to your fathers grave?
Will you not go this week? Perhaps the
storms of the last few days may have
bent the headstone until it leans far
over. You had better go out and see
whether tho lettering has been defaced.
You had better go out and see whether
the gate of the lot is closed. You had
better 20 and see if you cannot find
sermon in the springing grass. Oh, young
man, 20 out this week and see your IA
theirs grave!
Religion did so much for our Christian
ancestry, are we not ready this morning
to be willing to receive it into our own
households If we do receive it, let it
come through the front door, not through
the back door. In other words, do not
let US smuggle it in. There are great
many families who want to be religious,
but they do not want anybody outside to
know it. They would be mortified to
death if you caught them at family pray
ers. They would not sing in the wor-
ship for fear the neighbors would hear
them. They do not have prayers when
they have company.
They do not know much about the
nobility of the western trapper. A trav-
eler going along was ovcrtaken by night
and a storm, and he entered @ cabin.
There were firearms hung up around the
cabin. He was alarmed. He had a
large amount of money with him, but he
did not dare to venture on into the night
in the storm. He did not like the looks
of the household. After awhile the
father, the western trapper, came in,
gun on shoulder, and when the traveller
looked at him he was still more alright
ed.
After awhile the family were whisper
inc together in one corner of the room,
and the traveller thought to himself, "Oh!
now NV time has come; wish was out
in the storm and in the night rather than
here" But the swarthy man came upto
him and said: Sir, we are a rough peo-
nile: we get our living by hunting, and
we are very tired when the night comes;
but before going to bed we always have
a habit of reading little out of the 81
bic and having prayers, and | think we
will have our usual custom tonight, and
if you don't believe in that kind of thing
if you will just step outside the door for
a little while will be much obliged to
you"
Obi thore are many Christian parents
who have not half the courage Of that
western trapper. They do not want
their religion projecting too conspicuous
ly. They would like to have it near by
so as to call on it in case of funeral
but as to having it dominant in the