Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-01-19

now SIT waiting Tor news from the Dattie.
But II anyone keeps on asking the ques-
tioEs "Where's motherY I answer, "She's
in your present character" The probability
is that your physical features suggest her.
Ifthere be seven children in a household at
least six Of them look like their mother, and
the older you got the more you will look like
4 her. But l speak now especially OF your
character and not OF your looks. This is
easily explained During tho flrst ten years
OF your life you were almost all the time
with her, and your father you saw only
mornings and nights. There are no years
in any life so important for impression as the
1 first ten. Then and there is the impression
made for virtue or vice. for truth or false
hood for bravery or cowariice, for religion
or skepticism Suddenly start out from be-
/ hind door and brighten the child, and you
may shatter his nervous system for n life
/ ttme During the first ten years you cantell
| him enough spOOk stories to make him q
/ coward till he dies. Act before him as
though Friday were an unlucky day, and it
We're balelu to have thirteen at the table, or
see the moon over the let shoulder, and
! he will never recover from the idiotic SUI
/ perstitions. You may give that girl before
she is ten years old foudness for dress
| that will make her q mere dummy frame"
or fashion plate, for forty years. Ezekiel
xvi. A. GAS is the mother 50 is her daugh-
! ter" Before one decade has passed you can
, decide whether that boy will be a Shylock or
a George Peabody. Boys and girls are gem
orally echoes of fathers and mothers. What
an fncoherent thing for mother out Of
temper to punish a child for getting
mad, or for a father who smokes to shut
/ his boy up in a dark closet because he
has found him with an old stump OF
/ cigar in his mouth. or for that mother to
Q ral. hnr nf
herself too much in the looking glass when
the mother has her own mirrors 80 ar
ranged as to repeat her form from all sides
/ The great English poets loose moral char
acter was decided before he left the nursery,
and his schoolmaster in the schoOroOm
overheard this conversation: byron, your
mother IS a fool" and he answered, II
know it," You can hear all through the
/ heroic life Of Senator Sam Houston the
words OF his mother when she in the war
: Of 1912 put musket in his hand and said
"There, my son, take this and never
disgrace it, for remember | had rather all
my sons should mi one honorable
grave than that one OF them should turn his
! back on an enemy. Go and remember, too,
that while the door OF my cottage is open to
: all brave men it is always shut against cow
/ ards" Agrippina, the mother Of Nero, MUIR
deress. you are not surprised that her son
was murderer Give that child an over
dose of catechism, and make him recito
verses OF the Bible as "a punishment and
make SUNDAY a bore and he will become a
stout antagonist of Christianity. Impress
him with the kindness and the geniality and
the loneliness Of religion. and he will be its
advocate and exemplar for all time and eter-
nifty.
A few days ago right before our express
/ train on the Louisville and Nashville rail-
road the preceding train had gone down
through q broken bridge, twelve cars falling
100 feet and then consumed. / saw that only
one span Of the bridge was down and all tho
other spans were standing. Plan a good
bridge OF morals for your sons and
daughters, but have the first span OF ten
years detective. and through that they will
crash down, though all tho rest keep
standing o man. 0 woman. ii you have
preserved your integrity and arc really
Christian you have first OF all TO thank
God. and | think next you have to thank
your mother. The most impressive thing Mt
the inauguration Of James 4. Garfield as
President OF the United States was that af-
ter be had taken the oath OF Office he turned
round and in the presence OF the Supreme
Court and the Senate OF the United States
kissed his old mother II l had time to
take statistics out Of this audience, and [
could ask what proportion OF you who
are Christians owe your salvation under
God to maternal fidelity, | think about
three fOurths Of you would spring to your
feet. "IIa Ia - said the soldiers OF the
regiment 10 Charlie. one OF their comrades
"What has made the change in you? You
used to like sin as we'll as any OF US Pull
ing from his pocket his mothers letter in
which. after telling OF some comforts she had
sent him, she concluded, 1--WE are all pray
ing foryou. Charlie. that YOU may be a Chris
tain. he said. Boys, that's the sentence
The trouble with Sisora's mother was that
while sitting at the window Of my text
watching for news of her son from the bat
tlefeld she had the two bad qualities OF be-
ing dissolute aud being too fond Of personal
a1Ornment. The Bible account says Her
wise ladies answered her yea. She returned
answer TO herself 'Taye they not sped?
Have thcy not divided the prey-to every
man a damsel or two. to Ssera a prey Of
divers colors. prey OF divers colors OF
needlewOrk. OF divers cOlOrs of nee1lewOrS
on both sidesy" She makes no anxious
utterance about the wounded in bat
tie. about the bloolshed. about the
diving. about the dead. about the princi-
pies involved in the battle going on. battle
so important that the stars and the freshets
took part. and the clash Of swords was an
she thinks most OF is the bright coors Of the
wardrobes to be captured and the needle
work. ITO Sisera prey Of divers cOlors,
prey OF divers co!ors OF needlewOrk, OF divers
colOrs ofneedework on both sides
Now neither Sisara's 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 eve at the other. whether OF bone or
ivory. as in earliest time or OF bronze, as in
Pliny's time or OF steel, a in modern time
whether laborlously fashioned rs formerly by
one hand. or as now, when 100 workmen in
factory are employed to make the different
parts Of one needle. Il is an instrument III
vinely ordered for the comfort for the
life for the health. for the adornment
OF the human race. The eye OF the
needle hath seen more domestic
comfort and moro gladdenei power
ty and more Christian service than any other
eye. The modern sewing machine has in no
wise abolished the needle. but rather en-
throned If. Thank God for the needlewOrS.
from the time when the Lori Almighty from
the heavens ordered in regard 70 the en-
broidered door OF the ancient tabernacle
Thou shalt make a hanging for the door
the tent OF blue and purple and scarlet an:
fine twined linen wrought with needleworS,
down 10 the WomdulN MINUS N"t'h 'Ail
winter in this tabernacle are preseniin9
for benevolent purposes their needle
work. But there was nothing e.
cept vanity and worldliness and social splast
in what Sseras mother said about the nee
dlework she expected her son would brinc
home from the battle. And ] an not sur
prised 10 find that Sisera fought on the
wrong side when his mother at tho window
OF nv text in that awful eXigency had hei
chief thought on dry goods achievement anc
social display. God only knows how many
homes have made shipwreck on the ward
robe And that mother who sits ut the win
dow watching for vaing.orious triumph o.
millinery and fine colors and domestic pl
ceantry Will. after a while. hear rs bad new:
from her children out in the battle OF life q.
sisara's mother heard from the struggle al
Esdraelon.
But if you still press thequestion, where;
mother2" I will tell you where size is not
though once she was there. Some oil you
started with her likeness in your face am
her principles in your soul. But you nave
cast her out. That was an awful thing ior
YOU to. but you have done it. That hard
grinding disslpated 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 suffcient OF
fatal but, my boy you have struck her
down-strtck her innocence from your TACO
and struck her principles from your soul
", -.-,,oi- bar do,rn Tho tent min that