The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-07-13

praises of the sisterhood who remain
unmarried that they might administer
to aged parents. The brutal world
calls these self-sacrifcing ones pecu
liar or angular, but if you had had a:
many annoyances as they have had
Xantippe would have been an angel
compared to you. 1t is easier to take
care of five rollicking, romping chill.
dren than of one old childish man.
Among the best women are those who
allowed the bloom of life to pass away
while they were caring for their par
ents. While other maidens were sound
asleep they were soaking the old mans
feet, or tuckipg up the covers around
the invalid mother. While other maid.
ems were in the cotillon they were
dancing attendance upon rheumatism,
and spreading plasters for the lame
back of the septuagenarian, and heat
ing catnip tea for insomnia.
In almost every circle of our kindred
there has been some queen of self-sac-
rifice to whom jeweled hand after jew
eled hand was offered in marriage, but
who stayed on the old place because of
the sense of filial obligation, until the
health was gone and the attractiveness
of personal presence had vanished.
Brutal society may call such a one by
a nickname. God calls her daughter
and Heaven calls her saint, and L call
her domestic martyr. A half dozed or
binary women have not as much nobil-
ity as could be found in the
smallest joint of the little finger of
her left hand.
Let the ungrateful world sneer at the
maiden aunt, but God has throne bur-
nished for her arrival, and on one side
of that throne in Heaven there is a vase
containing two jewels, the one brighter
than the Kohinoor of London tower
and the other larger than ever found
in the districts of Golconda-the one
jewel by the lapidary of the palace cut
with the words: "Inasmuch as you
did it to father the other jewel by
the lapidary of the palace cut with the
words: ''Inasmuch as you did it to
mother" ''Over the Hills to the Poor
House" is the exquisite ballad of viii
Carleton, who found an old woman
who had been turned off by her pros
porous sons; but l thank God | may
find in my text: "Over the hills to the
palace"
As if to disgust us with unfilial con-
duct. the Bible presents us the story of
Micah, who stole the 100 shekel from
his mother. and the story of Absaloin,
who tried to dethrone his father. But
all history is beautiful with stories of
filial fidelity. Epaminondas. the war
rior. found his chief delight in reciting
to his parents his victories. There goes
Aeneas from burning Troy, on his
shoulders Anchisis, his father
The Athenians punished with death
any unfilial conduct. There goes
beautiful Ruth escorting venerable
Naomi across the desert amid
the bowling of the wolves and the
barking of the jackals. John Law
renee, burned at the stake in Colches-
ter, who said: "Oh. God, strengthen
Thy servant and keep Thy peomise!'
And Christ in the hour of excruciation
provided for His old mother. Jacob
kept his resolution: Il will go and see
him before / die" and little while
after we find them walking the tessel-
ated floor of the palace, Jacob and Jo-
seph. the prime minister proud of the
shepherd.
l may say in regard to the most of
you that your parents have probably
visited you for the last time, or will
soon pay you such a visit, and have
wondered if they will ever visit you in
the Kings palace. ''Oh," you say, II
am in the pit of siDr' Joseph was in
the pit. oh" you say, Il am in the
prison of mine iniqrity!" Joseph was
once in prison. "Oh." you say, 81 didn't
have fair chance; was denied mater
nal kindnessw Joseph was denied ma
ternal attendance. oh" you say, II
am far away from the land of my ma
tivityr' Joseph was far from home.
oh" you say. 81 have been betrayed
and exasperated!' Did not Joseph's
brethren sell him to passing Ish-
maelitish caravan? Yet God brought him
to that emblazoned residence; and if
you will trust his grace in Jesus Christ,
you, too, will be empalaced. Oh. what
a day that will be when the old folks
come from an adjoining mansion in
Heaven and find you amid the ala
baster pillars of the throne room and
living with the King! They are COM
ing up the steps now, and the epau-
letted guard of the palace rushes in
and says: "Your fathers coming your
mothers coming!" Add when under
the arches of precious stones and on
the pavement of porphyry you greet
aaah Of ar ha will oalirSn ha
meeting on the Goshen highway, when
Joseph and Jacob fell on each others
neck and wept a good while.
But, on, how changed the old folks
will be. Their check smoothed into
the flesh of a little child. Their
stopped posture lifted into immortal
symmetry. Their foot now so feeble,
then with the sprightliness of bound.
ing roe, as they shall say to you: "a
spirit passed this way from earth and
told us that You were hayward and
dissipated after we left the world; but
you have repented, our prayer has
been Answered. and you are here; and
as we used to visit you on earth before
we died, now we visit you in your
new home after our ascension" And
father will say: Mother, don't you see
Joseph is yet alive?" and the mother
viii say: Yes, father, Joseph is yet
alive" And then they will talk over
their earthly anxieties in regard to you,
and the midnight supplications in your
behalf. and they will recite to each
other the old Scripture passage with
which they used to cheer their stagger-
ing faith: Il will be God to thee and
thy seed after thee" Oh, the palace,
the palace, the palace. That is what
Richard Baxter called The Saints