The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-07-11

repeat it, he bawls in the old mans ear:
II hope you hear that!' How long he
must wear the old coat or the
old hat before they get him new
onel How chagrined they are at his
independence of the English grammar!
How long he hangs onl Seventy years
and not gone yet! Eighty years and
not gone yeti win he ever go? They
think it Of no use to have doctor in
his last sickness, and go up to the drug
store and get a dose Of something that
makes him worse, and economize on a
coffin, and beat the undertaken down
to the last point, giving note for the
reduced amount, which they never pay.
| have officiated at obsequies Of aged
people where the family have been so
inordinately resigned to providence
that felt like taking my text from
Proverbs: "The eye that mocketh at
its father and refuseth to obey its
mother, the ravens Of the valley shall
pick it out, and the young eagles shall
eat 1t. B" In other words, such an in
CRATE ought to have flock of crows for
pall-bearers! congratulate you il yon
have the honor of providing for your
aged parents. The blessing Of the Lord
God Of Joseph and Jacob will be on
you.
l rejoice to remember that though
my father lived in plain house the
most OF his days, he died in a mansion
provided by the filial piety Of q son
who had achieved a fortune. There
the octogenarian sat, and the servants
waited on him, and there were plenty
of horses and plenty of carriages to
convey him, and bower in which to
sit on long summer afternoons, dream
ing over the past; and there was not
room in the house where he was not
welcome, and there were musical in
struments of all sorts to regale him;
and when he had passed, the neighbors
came out and expressed all honor pos
sible and carried him to the village
Machpelah, and put him down beside
the Rachael with whom he had lived
more than half a century. Share your
successes with the old people. The
probability is that the principles they
ineulcated achieved your fortune. Give
them Christian percentage of kindly
consideration. Let Joseph divide with
Jacob the pasture fields of Goshen and
this glories Of the Egyptian court.
And here l would like to sing the
praises of the sisterhood who remain
unmarried that they might administer
to aged parents. The brutal world calls
these self-sacrifcing ones peculiar or
angular; but If you had had as many
as they have had Xantippe
would have been an angel compared to
you. 1t is easier to take care of five
romping children than Of
one childish old man. Among the best
women are those who allowed the
bloom Of life to pass away while they
were caring for their parents. While
other maidens were sound asleep they
were soaking the old mans feet or
tucking up the covers around the in
valid mother. while other maidens
were in the cotillion they were dancing
attendance upon rheumatism, and
spreading plasters for the lame back Of
the septenarian and heating catnip tea
for insomnia.
In almost every circle of our kindred
there has been some queen of self-sacri-
flee to whom jeweled hand after jeweled
hand was offered in marrige. 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 one by
n nickname. God calls her daughter,
and Heaven calls her saint, and call
her domestic martyr. Ahalf dozen ordi-
nary women have as not much nobility
Of the little finger of her left hand.
the world has stood six thou
sand years, this is the first apotheosis
Df maidenhood, although in the long
line of those who have declined mar
riage that they might be qualified for
some especial mission are the names of
Anna Ross, and Margaret Breckenridge,
md Mary Shelton. and Anna Etheridge,
md Georgiana Willetts, the angels of
inc battlefelds of Fair Oaks, and Look
out Mountain and ChancellorSvillc; and
,hough single life has been honored by
,he fact that the three grandest men
If the Bible-John and Paul and Christ
we're celibates.
Let the ungrateful world Snecr at
.he maiden aunt, but God has throne
for her arrival, and on one
,ide of that throne'in heaven there is a
,ase containing two jewels, the one
brighter than the Kohinoor of London
Tower, and the other larger than any
diamond found in the districts of Col
,onda-the one jewel by the lapidary
If the palace cut with the words: "In-
Ismuch as ye did it to the fathers" the
,ther jewel by the lapidary of the pal !
ice cut with the words: 'Inasmuch as I
re did IL TO mother" "0ver the Hills !
o the Poor House" is the exquisite
,allad of win Carleton, who found an
Id woman who had been turned off by |
Ter prosperous sons; but thank God | |
nay find in my text, "over the hills to
he palace"
AS II to disgust us with unfilial con-
uct the Bible presents us with the
tory Of Micah, who stole the eleven
undred shekels from bis mother, and
he story Of Absalom, who tried TO de-
hrone his father. But all history is
eautiful with stories of filial fidelity
,paminondas, the warrior, found his
hief delight in recitiug to his parents
is victories. There goes Eneas from
urninp TroY. on his shoulders An.