The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-01-18

dren, and then leaving IT all TO hired help.
with one or two visits day 20 the nursery to
see IN the principles announced are being car
ried out. The most OF those old folks did the
sewing, the washing, the mending. the darn
ing, the patching, the millinery, the mantua
making, the housekeeping, and in hurried
harvest time helped spread the hay or tread
down the load In the NOW. They were at
the same time caterers, tnilors, doctors.
chaplains and nurses for whole household
all together down with measles or scarlet
fever, or round the house with whooping
coughs and groups and runround fin
gers and earaches and all the infantile
distempers which Mt some time swoop upon
every large household. Some OF those mothers
never got rested In this world. Instead OF
the self rocking cradles OF our day, which,
wound up, will go hour after hour for the
solace Of the young slumberer. II was weary
foot on the rocker sometimes half the day or
half the night ht-rock-rock-roc In
stead Of our drug stores hllcd with oil the
wonders OF mnteria medica and called mp
through telephone with them the only
apothecary short OF four miles ride was the
garret, with its bunches OF peppermint and
pennyroyal and catnip and mustard and
camomile flowers, which were expected
to do everything. just think OF It Fifty
years OF preparing breakfast. dinner
and supper. The chief music they
heard was that OF spinning wheel and
rocking chair Tagged out, headachy and
with ankles swollen. Those old fashioned
mothers-if any persons ever fitted appropri-
ately into good. easy. comfortable heaven,
they were the folks. and they got there and
they are rested. They wear no spcctacles.
for they have their third slght--as they lived
long enough on earth TO get their second
slght-and they do not have TO pant for
breath after going up the the emerald stairs
OF the Eternal palace, Mt whose window they
nn qit xuattiptr for vva from fha hattlA
But II anyone keeps on asking the ques-
tions where's motherY / answer. "She's
in your present character" The probability
Is that your physical features suggest her
II there be seven children in a household at
least six OF them look like their mother. and
tho older you got the more you will look like
her But l speak now especially OF your
character and not OF your looks. This Is
easily explained. During the first 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 "a the
first ten. Then and there Is the impression
made for virtue or vice. for truth or false
hood. for bravery or cowardice. for religion
or skepticism. Suddenly start out from be-
hind n door and frighten the child. and you
may shatter his nervous system for q life
time. During the first ten years you antell
him enough spook stories to make him u
coward tlll ne ultS. ACT DttOTt MN rs
though Friday were an unlucky day, and II
were baleful TO have thirteen at the table. or
see the moon over the left shoulder. and
he will never recover from the idiotic su-
perstitions. You may give that girl before
she is ten years old fondness for dress
that will make her n mere dummy frame"
or fashion plate. for forty years. Ezekiel
xvi. "A. "As is the mother so IL her daugh-
ter" Before one decade has passed you can
decide whether that hoy will be Shylock or
George Peabody. Boys and girls are gen.
orally echoes Of fathers and mothers. What
an incoherent thing for mother out of
temper to punish child for getting
mad or for n father who smokes to shut
his boy up in q dark closet because he
cigar in his mouth, or for that mother to
rebuke her daughter for staring at
herself too much In the looking glass when
the mother has her own mirrors so 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 schoolmnster in the schoolroom
overheard this conversation byron, your
mother Is "A fool, and he answered, ~
know IT," You can hear all through I'll (,
bc-0t~ t's- ~ SSA.atvt O-.s Ne dStOu s.tc
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 1t, for remember l had rather all
my sons should Ill 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 10
all brave men II Is always shut against cow
ards" Agripplna, the mother OF Nero, mur.
deress, you are not surprised that her son
was murderer. Give that child an over
dose of catechism, and make him reclte
verses OF the Bible rs u punishment, and
make Sunday bore, and he will become a
stout antagonist of Christianity. Impress
him with the kindness and the geniality and
the loveliness 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 broken bridge, twelve cars falling
100 feet and then consumed. | saw that only
one span OF the bridge was down and all the
other spans were standing. Plan q good
bridge of morals for your sons and
daughters, but have the first span OF ten
years defective, and through that they will
crash down, though all the rest keep
standing. man, woman, IL you have
preserved your integrity and are really
Christian, you have first OF all to thank
God, and l think next you have TO thank
your mother. The most impressive thing at
the inauguration of James A. Garfield rs
President of the United States was that af-
ter he 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 had time 10
take statistics out OF this audience, and |
could ask what proportion OF you who
are Christians owe your salvation under
God to maternal fidelity, l think about
three-fourths Of you would spring to your
feet. "Ha ha r. said the soldiers of the
regiment to Charlie, one OF their comrades.
"What has made the change In you? You
used TO like sin as well rs any OF us" Pull
ing from his pocket his mothers letter, In
which, after telling OF some comforts she had
sent him, she concluded, ave are all pray
ing foryou, Charlie, that you may be Chris
tain, " he said, "Boys, that's the sentence.
The trouble with Sisera's mother was that,
while sitting at the window OF my text
W tching for news Of her son from the bat
tleheld, she had the two bad qualities OF be-
ing dissolute and being too fond OF personal
adornment. The Bible account says. "Her
wise ladies answered her yea. She returned
answer to herself: Have they not sped?
Have they not divided the prey-to every