The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-10-14
TALMAGES SERMON.
The Potential and Elevating In
auence of Good Woman.
= Biblical Model-The Virtue of Hospital
ty-Conquering Trouble-Appil-
cation TO Domestic Duties
Christian Faith.

Rev. I. De Witt Talmage chose fl
the subject of a recent sermon: :.
Great Woman taking for his text:
And IL fell on day that Elisha passed
Shunem. where was great woman.-H. King
w.. g.
The hotel of our time had no cour
terpart in any entertainment of olde
time. The vast majority of traveller
must then be entertained at privat
abode. Here comes Elisha, a servan
OF the Lord, on Divine mission, an
he must find shelter. A balcony ovel
looking the valley of Esdraelon
offered him in a private house, and
Is especially furnished for his occu
paney-a chair to sit on, table from
which to eat, a candlestick by whicl
to read, and bed on which to slum
Der, the whole blishment belong
ing to great and good woman.
Her husband, it seems, was a godl,
man, but he was entirely overshadowet
by his wife's excellencies; just as nov
You sometimes find in household tn,
wife the center of dignity and infiu
ence and power, not by any arroganc,
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 wise's hand on the
shuttle, on the banking house, on the
worldly business. You see hundreds
| Of who f,,r ~. 4
cause there is reason at home WHY
they are successful.
If man marry good, honest soul.
he makes his fortune. If he marry a
fool, the Lord help him! 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 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 a modicum of brain, intensely
quiet, sitting long while in the same
place without moving hand or foot-if
you say yes" responding "yes"-if
you say no." responding ''no"-inane,
eyes half shut, mouth wide open, main
tanning his position in society only be-
cause he has large patrimony. But
his wife, my text says, vas a 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 dia-
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
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
oarous nations honor this virtue. Jupi- |
er had the surname of the hospitable, |
Ind he was said to especially avenge
he wrongs of strangers. Homer ex-
oiled it in his verse. The Arabs are
upon this subject, and
lmong some of their tribes it is not un-
IL the ninth day of tarrying that the
occupant has right to ask his guest:
Who, and whence art thou?s If this
'irtue is so honored even among bar
'arians, how ought it to be honored
mong those of us who believe in the
bible, which commands us to use hos
itality one toward another without
'rudging.
OF course, do not mean under this
over to give any idea that approve
that vagrant class who go around
rom place to place ranging their
hole lifetime, perhaps under the
uspices of some benevolent or phi
inthropic society, quartering them
slves on Christian families, with a
reat pile of trunks in the hall and ,,
portentous of tarrying.
here is many a country parsonage +.
nat looks out week by week upon the :
ninous arrival of wagon with creak-
g wheel and lank horse and dilapi- .
ited driver, come under the auspices
some charitable institution to spend
few weeks and canvass the neighbor-
bod. Let no such religious tramps
Ike advantage of this beautiful virtue :,
Christian hospitality. I
mot so much the sumptuouspess of I
'ur diet and the regality of your
,ode will impress the friend or the d
ranger that steps across your thresh- a
d, as the warmth of your greeting, h
e informality of your reception, the n
iteration by grasp and by look and d
: thousand attentions, insignificant Z
tentions, by your earnestness of well v
me. There will be high appreciation il
your welcome, although you have s
thing but the brazen candlestick and G
e plain chair to offer Elisha when he e
mes to Shunem.
Most beautiful is this grace of hospi-
lily when shown in the house of God. o.
am thankful that l am pastor of 4
urch where strangers are ALWAYS I,
,lcome, and there is not state in r
e Union in which / have not heard +,
e affability of the ushers of our "
urch complimented But I have en- =,