Connecticut western news., 1893-08-03
DUTIES OF PARENTS.
DR. TALMAGE SETS FORTH THE DAM
 GERS I'll. .iATENlNG THE YOUNG.

DR TALMAGE SETS FORTH THE DAM GERS TH.. HAPPENING THE YOUNG. s. The Sacrifice of Jephthah's Daughter was but a Type of SIillions of Chiid Sacrifices by Unwise Training or Cruel Neglect by Parents.
 BROOKLYN, July 30.-Rev. Dr. Tal- mage, who is now on his vacation tour in the west, has chosen for topic for this morning, "Children's Rights" the text being Judges Ri, 38, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth"
 Jephthah was a freebooter. Early turned out from home where he ought to have been cared for, he consorted with rough men and went forth to earn his living as best he could. In those times it was considered right for a man to go out on independent military expe- ditions. Jephthah was good man ac- cording to the light of his dark age, but through wandering and predatory
 
 The grace of God changes mans heart, but never reyerses his natural tempera- ment.
 THE WILD COMMANDER. The Israelites wanted the Ammonites driven out of their country, so they sent delegation to Jephthah, asking him to become commander in chief of all the forces. He might have said, ''You drove me out when you had no use for me, and now you are in trouble you want me back" but he did not say that. He takes command of the army, sends messengers to the Ammonites to tell them to vacate the country, and getting no favorable response marshals his troops for battle. Before going out to the war Jephthah makes 8 very solemn VOW that if the Lord will give him the victory then on his return home whatsoever first comes out of his doorway he will offer in sacri- flee as burnt offering. The battle opens. It was no skirmishing on the edges of danger, no unlimbering of bat teries two miles away, but the hurling of men on the point of swords and spears until the ground could no more drink the blood and the horses reared to leap over the pile of bodies of the slain. In those old times opposing forces would fight until their swords were broken, and then each one would throttle his man until they both fell, teeth to teeth, grip to grip, death stare to death stare, until the plain was one tumbled mass of corpses from which the last trace of manhood had been dashed out.
 Jephthah wins the day. Twelve cities lay captured at his feet. Sound the vic- tory all through the mountains of Gilead. Let the trumpeters call up the survivors. Homeward to your wives and children. Homeward with your gilt tering treasures. Homeward to have the applause of an admiring nation. Build triumphal arches. Swing out flags all over Mizpeh. Open all your doors to receive the captured treasures. Through every hall spread the banquet. Pile up the viands. Fill high the tankards. The nation is redeemed, the invaders are routed, and the national honor is vindicated.
 THE RETURN IN TRIUMPH
 Huzza for Jephthah, the conquerorl Jephthah, seated on a prancing steed, advances amid acclaiming multitudes, but his eye is not on the excited popu- lace. Remembering that he had made solemn vow that, returning from vtc- torious battle, whatsoever first came out of the doorway of his home, that should he sacrifice as burnt offering, he has his anxious look upon the door. I won- der what spotless lamb, what brace of doves, will be thrown upon the fires of the burnt offering. Oh, horrorsl Pale Oess of death blanches his cheek. De- spair seizes his heart. His daughter, his only child, rushes out the doorway to throw herself in her fathers arms and shower upon him more kisses than there were wounds on his breast or dents on his shield. All the triumphal splendor vanishes. Holding back his child from his heaving breast and pushing the locks back from the fair brow and looking in- to the eyes of inextinguishable affection, with choked utterance he says; "Would God lay stark on the bloody plain. My daughter, my only child, joy of my home, life of my life, thou art the sacri- feel"
 The whole matter was explained to her. This was no whining, hollow heart
  All the glory of sword and shield van ished in the presence of the valor of that girl. There may have been tremor of the lip as rose leaf trembles in the sough of the south wind, there may have been the starting of tear like raindrop shook from the anther of water lily, but with 8 self sacrifice that man may not reach and only woman's heart can compass she surrenders herself to fire and to death. She cries out in the words of my text, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do unto me whatsoever hath proceeded from thy mouth"
 THE MAIDEN's HERoIsM
 She bows to the knife, and the blood which so often at the fathers voice had rushed to the crimson cheek smokes in the fires of the burnt offering. No one can tell us her name. There is no need that we know her name. The garlands that Mispeh twisted for Jephthah, the warrior, had gone into the dust, but all ages are twisting this girls chaplet. Ii Is we'll that her name came not to us, for no one can wear 1t. They may take the name of Deborah or Abigail or Miriam but no one in all the ages can have the title of this daughter of sacrifice.
 Of course this offering was not pleas ing to the Lord; but before you hurl your denunciations at Jephthah's cruelty remember that in olden times, wher vows were made, men thought they must execute them, perform them, whether they were wicked or good. There were two wrong things about Jephthah's VOW First, he ought never to have made 1t Next, having made it, it were better broken than kept. But do not take or pretentious airs and say, "T could mol nave done as Jephtnah did" If today you were standing on the banks of the Ganges and you had been born in India you might have been throwing your children to the crocodiles. It is not be cause we are naturally any better, but