The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-03-24

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 1t plainly and say she prays better,
Oh, these mothers decide almost every
thingl Nero's mother was a murderess.
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-
otto, 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 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 Inc painter"
"A young man received 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 bea
Christian in the army, and was resolved
not to go home until | could answer her
first question" Oh. the almost omnipo-
tent power of the mother 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. It 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
ferentw The fact is that tie 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 synpathizing mourn
els. It was the father asleep in the cas-
ket.
The hands that had toiled for that
household SO long. folded. The brain
cooled off after 20 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
tears falling in mothers grave than in
fathers grave, but over the fathers
tomb think there is a kind of ave., 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 ont 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 the lettering has been defaced
You had better go out and see whether
the gate of the lot is closed. You had
better go and see if you cannot find
sermon in the springing grass. Oh, young
man, go out this week and see your fa-
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 smugge 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 overtal1en by night
and storm, and he entered a 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
ing together in one corner of the room,
and the traveller thought to himself, "Ohl
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-
pie; we get our living by hunting, and
we are very tired when the night comes;
but before going to bed we always have
habit of reading little out of the BIZ
BILE and having prayers, and I 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
little while will be much obliged to
you"
Oh! there 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
household from the list of January, Z
O'Clock a. m, to the 31st Of December, 10
o'clock p. m, they do not want it. They
would rather die and have their families
perish with them than to cry out in the
bold words of the soldier in my text,
CAS- for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord"
There was, in my ancestral line, an
incident so strangely impressive that it
seems more like romance than reality.
1t has sometimes been SO inaccurately
put forth that | now give you the true
incident. My grandfather and grand
mother, living at Somerville, N. j., went
to Baskingridge to witness revival I'M
der the ministry Of the Rev. DR.. Finley.
They came home so impressed with what
they had seen that they resolved on the
salvation of their children.
| The young people of the house were to
go off for an evening party, and my
grandmother said:
"Now, when you are all ready for the
/ tr 70 Co., To,