Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-01-27

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qualities of being dissolute and being
too fond Of personal adornment. The
Bible account says: : Her wise ladies
answered her yea. She returned answer
to herself; Have they not sped? Have
they not divided the prey-to every
man 4 damsel or two, to Sisera a prey
of divers colors, prey of divers colors
of needlework, of divers colors of nee
diework ON both sides:' - She makes
no anxious utterance about the wound
Ell in battle, about the bloodshed, about
the dying, about the dead, about the
principles involved in tine battle going
on, a battle so important that the stars
and the freshets took part, and the clash
Of swords was answered by the thunder
OF the skies. What she thinks most Of
is the bright colors of the wardrobes to
be captured and the needlework. ITO
S'sera prey of divers colors, prey Of
divers colors Of needleworl,. of divers
eolors of needlework on both sides.
Now neither Sisera' 5 mother nor any
one else can say too much in eulogy of
the needle. 1t has made more useful
conquests than the sword. Pointed at
one end and with an eye at the other.
whether OF bone or ivory, as in earliest
time; or of bronze, as in Pliny's time;
or of steel, as in modern time; whether
laboriously fashioned as formerly by
one hand, or US now, when 100 work
men in a factory are employed to make
the different parts of one needle. Il is
an instrument divinely ordered for the
comfort, for the life, for the health, for
the adornment of tine human race. The
eye Of the needle hath seen more domes-
tic comfort and more gladdened power
ty and more Christian service than any
other eye. The modern sewing machine
has in no wise abolished the needle, but
rather enthroned it. Thank God for the
needlework, from the time when the
Lerd Almighty from the heavens or
dered in regard to the embroidered door
Ct the ancient tabernacle, Thou shalt
make hanging for the door of the tent
Of blue and purple and scarlet and fine
twined linen wrought with needle
work, down to the womanly hands
which this winter in this tabernacle are
presenting for benevolent purposes their
needlework. But there was nothing ex-
capt vanity and worldliness and social
splash in what Sisera's mother said
about the needlework she expected her
son would bring home from the battle
And | am not surprised TO find that Sis
era fought Oh the wrong side when his
mother at the window of my text in
that awful exigency had her chief
thought on dry goods achievement and
social display. God only knows how
many homes have made shipwreck on
the wardrobe. And that mother who
sits at the window watching for vain
glorious triumph OF millinery and fine
colors and domestic pageantry will aft
er awhile hear as bad news from her
children out in the battle of life as Sis
era ) mother heard from the struggle at
Esdraeion.
AN APOsTRoPHE TO MOTHERS.
But if you still press the question,
Where's mother?' | will tell YOU
where she is not, though once she was
there. Some of you started with her
likeness in your face and her principles
in your soul. But you have cast her
out That was an awful thing for you
to do, but you have done it, That hard,
grinding, dissipated look you never got
from her. Ii you had seen any one
strike her, you would have struck him
down without much care whether the
blow was just sufficient or fatal; but.
my boy, you have struck her down
struck her innocence from your face and
struck her principles from your soul.
You struck her down. The tent pin
thTt Jael drove three times into the
skull of Sisera was not so cruel as tho
stab you have made more than three
times through your mother heart. But
she is waiting yet, for mothers are slow
to give up their boys-waiting at some
window, it may be window ON earth
or ut some window in heaven. All 9TH
ers may cast you off. Your wife may
seek divorce and have no more patience
with you. Your father may disinherit
you and say, Let him never again
darken the door of our house. But
there are two persons who do not give
yoG up-God and mother.
How many disappointed mothers
waiting at the window Perhaps the
panes of the window are not great glass
plate. bevel edged and lowered over by
exquisite lambrequin, but the window
is made Of small panes, | would say
about six or eight of them, in summer
wreathed with trailing vine and in
winter pictured by the Raphaels of the
forest, a real country window. The
mother sits there knitting, or busy with
her needle on homely repairs, when she
looks up and sees coming across the
bridge Of the meadow brook stranger.
who dismounts in front OF the window
He lifts and drops the heavy knocker of
the farmhouse door. Come inl'' is the
response. He gives his name and says,
i have come on a sad errand. " There
is nothing the matter with my son
in the city, is there?' she asks. "Yes.''
he says. Your son got into an unfor-
tunate encounter with young man in
liquor saloon last night and is badly
hurt. The fact is he cannot get WE'LL
| hate to tell you all. am sorry to
say he is dead. - ''Deadr' she. cries as
she letters back. "Oh. my SOM my
son, my sonl Would God / had died
fer thee.'' That is the ending of all
her caIes and anxietios and good coun-
sells for that boy That is her pay for
her self sacrifices in his behalf. That is
the bad news from the battle. So the
tidings Of dereiict or Christian sons trav-
el to the windows Of earth or the win
dows Of heaven at which mothers sit.
But, says some one. are yen not
mistaken about my glorified mother
hearing of my eyildoings since she
went away: Says some one else, Are
you not mistaken about my glorified
mother hearing of my self sacrifice ana
moral bravery and struggle to do
right:' No, Heaven and earth are in
constant communication. There are
trains running every five minutes
trains of immortaIs ascending and de-
seending spirits going from earth to
heaven to live there. Spirits descend
ing from heaven to earth to minister
and help. They hear from us many
times every day. Do they hear good
news or bad news from this battle, this
Sedan. this Thermopyla, this Auster-
htz, IN which every one OF us is fight
ing ON the right side or the wrong side
o God. whose | am. and whom | am
trying TO serve. as a result of this ser