The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-06-06
MARTYRsOF THE NEEDLE
Subject OF a Discourse by Rev. T!
Dewitt Talmage.
Tho Battering-Rsm, the Sword. the Car
bine, the Battle-Ax HAvs Made No
suoh Havoc ast the sNeedlo-wonen
should Have Equal Compen-
satien with Men.

hev. T. Dewitt Talmage, who is now
on his round-the-world journey, chose
~ the subject Of q recent sermon: MAR
tyTs Of the Needle" the text being
Matthew XIX, "a: at is easier for
eamel to go through the eye Of q
needle"
Whether this "eye Of the needle" be
the small gate at the side Of the big
gate at the entrance Of the wall of the
ancient city, as is generally interpreted,
or the eye Of needle such as is now
handled in sewing garment, do not
soy. In either case it would be tight
thing for n camel to go through the eye
OF a needle. But there are whole cava-
rams Of fatigues and hsrdships going
through the eye Of the sewing woman's
needle.
Very long ago the needle was busy.
II was considered honorable for women
TO toll in olden time. Alexander the
Great stood In his palace showing gar
ments made by his own mother. The
finest tapestries at Bayex were made by
the Queen of William the Conquerer.
Augustus, the emperor, would not wear
any garments except those that were
fashioned by some momber of his royal
family. So let the toiler everywhere
be respected!
The greatest blessing that could have
happened to our first parents was being
turned out of Eden after they had done
wrong. Adam and Eve, in their per
feet state, might have got along with
out work, or only such slight employ
ment as perfect garden, with no
weeds in 1t, demanded. But, as soon
as they had sinned, the best thing for
them was to be turned out where they
would have TO work, We know what a
whitening thing it is for aman to have
nothing to do. Good old Ashbel Green,
at four-score years, whom asked why ho
kept on working, said, vi do SO to keep
out Of mischief" We see that man
who has n large amount of money To
start with has no chance. OF the
thousand prosperous and honorable
men that you know, nine hundred and
ninety-nine had to work vigorously at
the beginning.
But am now to tell you that indus
try is just as important for woman's
safety and happiness. The most un-
happy women in our communities to-
day are those who have no engagements
to call them up in the morning; who,
once having risen and breakfasted,
lounge through the dull forenoon in
slippers down at the heel and with di-
sheveled hair, reading the last novel;
and who, having dragged through a
wretched forenoon and taken their
afternoon sleep, and having spent an
hour and half at their toilet, pick up
their oard-case and go out TO make
calls; and who pass their evenings
waiting for somebody to come in and
break up the monotony. Arabella
Stuart was never imprisoned in SO dark
q dungeon as that.
There is no happiness In an idle wo-
man. 1t may be with hand, It may bo
with brain, 1t may be with foot; but
work she must, or be wretched forever.
The little girls Of our families must be
started with that idea. The curse of our
American society is that our young
women are taught that our first,
second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth,
seventh, tenth, fftieth, thousandth
thing in their life, is TO get somebody
to take care OF them. Instead Of that,
the first lesson should be, how, under
God, they may take care Of themselves.
The simple fact is that a majority Of
them do have to take care Of them
selves, and that, too, after having,
through the false notions of their
parents, wasted the years in which
they ought to have learned how sue
cessfully to maintain themselves. We
now and here declare the inhumanity,
cruelty, and outrage of that father and
mother, who pass their daughters into
womanhood, having given them no
facility for earning their livelihood.
Madame de Stael said: at is not these
writings that am proud of, but the
fact that have facility in ten occu-
pations, in any one Of which could
make livelihood"
You say you have a fortune to lease
them. o man and womanl have you
not learned that, like vultures, like
hawks, like eagles, riches have wings
and fly away? Though you should be
successful in leaving competency be-
hind you, the trickery Of executors may
swamp 1t in night; or some elders or
deacons Of our churches may get up q
fictitious company, and induce your or
phans TO put their money into It, and II
II be lost, prove TO them that II was
eternally decreed that that was the way
they were to lose It, and that II went
In the most orthodox and heavenly
style. o, the damnable schemes that
professed Christians will engage in
until God puts His finger into the col
lar of the hypocrite's robe and rips II
clear down TO the bottom! You have
no right, because you are well off, TO
conclude that your children are going
TO be as well off. A man died, leaving
n large fortune. His son fell dead in
Philadelphia grog-shop, His old com
rades came in and said, as they bent
over his corpse, what Is the matter
with you, Boggsey2" The surgeon
standing over him said: "Hush upl ho
Is deadr' "Ah, he Is deadr' they
said. "Come, boys, let us go and take
q drink in memory of poor Boggseyl"
Have you nothing better than money
to leave your children7 II you have
| not, but send your daughters into tho