The Bossier banner., 1894-07-19
NEEDLE MARTYRS.
DR.. Talmage Discourses on the Sub
ject of Toiling Women.
Industry just as Important for Woman's
as for Mans Safety-Give Both an
Equal Chance in the Strug-
gle of Life.

-
the world, for perusal by his reading
congregation this week. 1t is based on
the text:
1t is easier for a camel to go through the eye
Of a needle.-Matthew xix, "a.
Whether this 'eye of the needle be
the small gate at the side of the big
gate at the entrance of the wall
CT the ancient city, as is generally
interpreted, or the eye of needle such
as is now handled in sewing a garment,
do not say. In either case it would
be tight thing for camel to go
through the eye of needle. But there
are whole caravans of fatigues and
hardships going through the eye of the
sewing woman's needle.
Very long ago the needle was busy.
1t 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 BayeuX were made
by the queen of William the Conqueror.
Augustus, the emperor, would not wear
any garments except those that were
fashioned by some member 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 perfect state, might have got
along without work, or only such slight
employment as a perfect garden, with
| no weeds in it, 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 a
man to have nothing to do. Good old
Ashbel Green, at four-score years, when
asked why he kept on working, said:
II do so to keep out of mischief" We
see that a man who has large amount
of money to start with has no chance,
OF the thousand prosperous and honor
able men that you know, nine hundred
and ninety-nine had to work vigorous
ly at the beginning,
But l am now to tell you that indus
try is just as important for a woman's
safety and happiness. The most un.
happy women in our communities to-
day are those who have no engage
ments to call them up in the morning
who, once having risen and break
tasted, lounge through the dull fore
noon in slippers down at the heel and
with disheveled hair, reading the last
novel; and who, having dragged
through a wretched forenoon an6
taken their afternoon sleep, and hav.
ing spent an hour and a half at THEN
toilet, pick up their card case and &c
out to make calls; and who pass theil
evenings waiting for somebody to come
in and break up the monotony. Ara
bella Stuart never was imprisoned il
SO dark dungeon as that.
There is no happiness in an idle WON
an. 1t may be with hand, it may bt
with brain, 1T may be with foot; bu
work she must, or be wretched forever
The little girls of our families must b.
started with that idea. The curse O
our American society is that our young
women are taught that the first. sec
ond, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh
tenth, fifteenth, fftieth, thousandtl
thing in their life is to get somebody
to take care of them. Instead of that
the first lesson should be, how, un
der God, they may be able to take
care of themselves. The simple fac
is that a majority of them dc
have to take care of them
selves and that, too, after hav
ing, through the false notions of thei
parents, wasted the years in which
they ought to have learned how sue
cessfully to maintain themselves. w,
now and here declare the inhumanity
cruelty and outrage of that father ant
mother, who pass their daughters int,
womanhood, having given them NJ
facility for earning their livelihood
Nine, De Stael said: ''It is not thes
writings l am proud of, but of the fac
that have facility in ten occupations
in any one of which l could make
livelihood"
You say you have a fortune to leav
them. man and woman! have yo
not learned that, like vultures, lil1
hawks, like eagles, riches have wing
and fly away? Though you should b
successful in leaving a competency be
hind you, the trickery of executors ma
swamp it in a night; or some elders O
deacon of our churches may get up
fictitious company and induce your o,
phans to put their money into it, an
if it be lost, prove to them that it wa
eternally decreed that that was tE
way they were to lose it, and that
went in the most orthodox all
heavenly style. o, the damnab bl
schemes that professed Christians wi
engage in-until God puts His finger
into the collar of the hypocrites rob
and rips it clear down to the bottom
You have no right. because you az
well off, to conclude that your childre
are going to be well off. A man dice
leaving large fortune. His son fe
dead in Philadelphia grogshop. I'll
old comrades came III and said, as the
bent over his corpse: What is th
matter with you, Boggsey?". The SUI
geon, standing over him, said: Illus
up! he is dead!"-"Ah, he is dead
they said. Come, boys, let us go an
take drink in memory of poor Boge
sey!"