The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-01-24

every man CamSel or two, to SiSera {.
prey Of divers colorS-a prey of divers
coloTs of needlework, Of divers colors
of reedework on both sldes?"
She makes no anxious utterance
about the wounded 10 battle, about the
bloodshed, about the dying, about the
dead. about the principles involved il
tee battle going on-a battle so import
ant that the stars and the freShets took
part, and the clash Of swords was an
s~ered by the thunder Of the skis.
/ What she thinks mos, OF is the bright
colors Of the wardrobes to be captured
and the needlework. "Io Sisera prey
of divers colors-a prey Of divers colors
of Deedlewo ork, of divers cclors of nee
| die work on both sides.
Now, neither Sisera'S mother Dor any
one else ca1 say too much IN eulcgy of
the needle. It has made more useful
ccnqueSss 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 as now, when a hundred
workmen in factory are employed to
make the different parts Of one needle,
it is an instrument divineiy ordered for
the comfort. for the life. for the health,
for the aGOrnuent Of the human race.
| The eve of the needle hath seen more
domestic comfort, and more eIaddened
poverty, AID more Christian service
than any other eye.
The modern sewing machine has in
noW:Se abolished the needle, but rather
enthrcGed it. Thank God for tie nee.
! dlework from the time wheu the L2ld
AImig ty from the heavens ordered II
regard to the embroide ed door Of the
ancient tabernacle, "Thou shalt make
hanging for the door OF the tent OF
| blue ana purple and scarlet snG fire
twlned linen wrought with needle
work down to the womanly hands
wnict this winter in this Tabernacle
are presenting for benev lent purposes
their ue-dlework. But thsre was
nothing except vanity and wor!dliness
and social splash in what Sisera's
mother said anout the needlework shs
exp-cted her son would brl g home
from the battle,
AMI | am not SuroriSei to find that
sera fought on the wrong side. when
his mother at the window of my text,
IL that awful exigeucy, had ner Chief
thought on dry goods achiev -ment
and Social display. GOO only knows
how many homes have made Shipwrsck
on the wardrobe And that mother
WHO sits at the window watching for
vMpgloriouS triumph Of millinery and
| hIe colors aud domestic pageaniry viii
aftt- awhile hear Us bad news from
ner chilnreu out in the battle OF life rs
S.ss,ra's mother beard from the stzug-
gle at Esdraelon.
Bat if you still press the question.
"Wh-re's mother?" I Will tel you
Where she IS not, though once she was
there. Some of you started with her
likeu-ss in your face aud her pr,nci
pies n your soul. But you have cast
her out. That was an awful thing for
you to DO. but you have done it. rhat
hard. grinding, Gisslpated look you
never got froul her. If you had seen
auy one strike her, you would have
struck him down without much care
whether the Oiow was just sufficient OF
fatal; but, my boy, you have struck her
down-StTuck her innocence from your
face and struck her principles from
your soul
You struck her down! The tent pin
that Jael drove three times into the
skull of SiSera was not so cruel as the
stab you have made more than three
tiues through your mothers 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 at some window in heaven.
All others 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 you up-Gcd aud
mother.
How many disappointed mothers
waiting at the window! Perhaps the
panes of the window are not great glass
plate, bevel edged and hovered over by
exquisite lambreQuin. but the window
is made of small panes, I would say
about six or eight of them, in summer
wreathed with trailing vine, and II
winter pictured by the Raphaels of the
frost, 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 a stranger
who dismounts in front of the window.
Helifts and drops the heavy knocker
of the farmhouse door. "Come I'M" is
the res ponSe. He gives his name and
says, Il have come on sad errand.'
There is nothing the matter of my
son in the city, is there?" she asks.
"Yes." he says. "Your son got into
an unfortunate encounter with young
man in liquor saloon last night and
is badly hurt The fact is he cannot
get well. l hate to tell you all. l am
sorry to say be is dead" "Deadw she
cries as she totters back. "Oa, my son!
my son! my son, Would God I had
died for thee!" That is the ending of
all her cares and anxieties and good
counsels 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 derelict or CHRISTIAN
sons travel to the windows Of earth or
the windows ofheayen at which moth
erS SIT.
But" says some one, 'are you not
mistaken about my giorided mother
hearing Of my evildoings since she
went away?"- Says some one else,
"Are you not mistaken about my glnr
lied mother hearing of my self sacfl
ice and moral braver7 ana struggles
to do rlght?' No! Heaven and earth
are in constant communication. There
are rralos running every five minutes
trains of llnmortaIs ascending and
descendlng-spirl's going from earto
to heaven to live there. Spirits de-
sceuding from heaven to earth TO min
lister and help. They hear from US
many times every day. Do they hear
good news or bad news from this na5-
tle-th!s Sedan, this rhermopylie, this
Austerl.tz, in which every one OF us is
fgn'lng on the right side or the wrong
side 90
Oh, God. whose l am, whom I am
trying to serve, as a result OF this ser