The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1893-09-01

Rev. 4. De Witt Talmage chose for
the subject of a recent sermon: "A
Great Woman" taking for his text:
And # fell on day that Elisha passed to
Shunem, where was a great woman.-H. Kings.
iv.. g.
The hotel of our time had no coun-
terpart in any entertainment of olden
time. The vast majority of travellers
must then be entertained at private
abode. Here comes Elisha, servant
of the Lord, on a Divine mission, and
he must find shelter. A balcony over
looking the valley Of Esdraelon is
offered him in a private house, and it
is especially furnished for his occu-
pancy-a chair to sit on, table from
which to eat, a candlestick by which
TO read, and bed on which to slum-
Der, 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 inf1u-
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 bust
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 a good, honest soul,
he makes his fortune. If he marry a
fool, the Lord help himl 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 a potential and
elevating influence.
This woman of my text was the SUI
perior of her husband. He, as far as /
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 eyes," 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 us.
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 escutcheon or cleaning dfa-
dem be to this woman of nv 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
other 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 a great woman.
In the first place, she was great in
her Inequalities. 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-
Til 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
- xr-1,. 10
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 a
great pile of trunks in the hall and
carpet-bag portentous of tarrying.
There is many a 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
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 informality of your reception, the
reiteration by grasp and by look and
by thousand attentions, insignificant
attentions by your earnestness of well
come. There will be high appreciation
of your welcome, although you have
nothing but the brazen candlestick and
the plain chair to offer Elisha when he
comes to Shunem.
Most beautiful is this grace of hospi-
tally when shown in the house of God.
/ am thankful that / am pastor of a
church where strangers are always
welcome, and there is not state in
the Union in which I have not heard
the affability of the ushers of our
church complimented. But have en-
tered churches where there was no
hospitality. A stranger would stand
in the vestibule for awhile and then
make pilgrimage up the long aisle.
No door opened to him, until flushed
and excited and embarrassed he started
back again, and coming to some half
filed pew with apologize air, entered