The Penn's Grove record., 1894-01-19

But II you still press the question, "where's
motherT I Will tell you whsre abe is not,
though ono she was there. Some Of you
started with her likeness in your face and
her principles In your soul. But you have
cast her out. That was an awful thing Tor
you to, but you have done it. That hard,
grinding dissipated look you never got from
her. II you had seen any one strike her you
would have struck him dow without much
care whether the Blow was Just sufficient or
fatal but, my boy, you have struck her
down-struck her innocence from your face
ind struck her principles from your soul.
You struck her down The tent pin that
Jasl drove three times into the skull OF Sissra
was not so cruel as the stab you nave made
more than three times through your mothers
heart. But she is waiting yet, for mothers
are slow to give up their boys-waiting at
some window, it may be a window on earth
or at some window In heaven. And others
may cast you of. o wife may seek
divorce and have no patience with You.
Your father may disinherlt you and say,
L. him never again darken thee door OF our
house" But there are two persons who do
not give you up-God and mother.
How many disappointed mothers waiting
at the window! Perhaps the panes of the
window are not great glass plate, beyel
brequin, but the window is made OF small
panes, | would say about six or eight OF
them, in summer wreathed with trailing
vine and in winter pictured by the Raphaels
OF the forest, q real country window. The
mother sits there knitting, or busy with her
needle on homely repairs, whom she looks M
and sees coming across the bridge Of tbs
meadow brook a stranger, who dismounts in
front OF the window. He lifts and drops the
heavy knocker ofthe farmhouse door. "Come
in T. is the response. He gives his name and
says. II have come on asad GRAND" There
Is nothing the mattar with my son in tho
CITY, is there?' she asked. ayes p he SAYS.
''Your son got into an unfortunate encounter
with a young man in a liquor saloon last
night and is badly hurt. The fact is he can
not get well. / hate to tell you all. l am
sorry to say he Is dead" ''Dead p she cries
as she totters back. "0h, my son my son
ny son! Would God l had died for thear'
That is the ending of all her cares AMI ankle
ties and good counsels for that boy. That
is her pay for her self sacrileesin his behalf.
That is the bad news from the battle. So the
ddings of dereliet or Christian sons travel to
the windows of earth or the windows OF
heaven at which mothers sit.
"But," says some one, "are you not mis-
taken about my glori1ed mother hearing of
my e~vlidoings since she went away" Says
some one else, "Are you not mistaken about
my gloriled mother hearing Of my self sacri-
Ace and moral bravery and struggle to do
right2" mol Heaven and earth are in con-
stan communication. There are trains run
ming every five minutes-trains of immor;als
ascending and descending-spirits going
from earth to heaven to live there. SPIRITS
descending from heaven to earth to min
lister and help. They hear from US
many times every day. Do they hear
good news or bad news from the battle,
this Sedan, this Thermopyl@, this Austen
iitz, In which every one of us is fighting on
the right side or the wrong side. o God,
whose 1 am, and whom 1 am trying to
serve, as a result Of this sermon, roll over
OF all mothers a new sense of their RESPONSE
bility, and upon all children, whether still
In the nursery or Out OF the tremendous
Esdraelon OF middle life or old age, the fact
that their victories or defeats sound clear
maternity. oh, is not this the minute when
the cloud OF blessing filled with the exhaied
tears of anxious mothers shall burst in
showers Of mercy on this audience?
There is one thought that is almost too
tender for u~rteranoe. I almost fear to start
it lest / a not enough control OF my mo-
lion to conclude it. As when we were chill
iren we so often came in from play or from
! hurt or from some childish injustice prac-
iced upon us, and as soon as the door was
opened We cried, where's mother?" and
she said, 'fHere I am" and we buried our
weeping faces in her lap, SO after awhile,
when we get through with the pleasures and
= t !" "-f tb
mercy OF Christ, enter the heavenly home, and
among the first questions, not the first, but
,mong the first, will be the old question that
We used to ask, the question that Is being
.sked in thousands Of places at this very
noment--the question, ''Where's mother?"
And 1t will not take long for US to find her
Dr. for her to ind US, for she will have been
Watching at the window for our coming.
and with the other children Of our household
of earth we will again gather round her, and
she will say well, how did you getthrough
he battle OF life? / "a often heard from
others about you, but now l want to hear
il from your own souls. Tell me all about
1t, my children r' And then we will tell
her of all our earthly experiences,
the holidays, the marriages, the birth hours,
the burials, the heartbreaks, the losses, the
gains, the victories, the defeats, n she viii
say Never mind, II is all over now. I see
each one Of you has a crown, which was
given you at the gate as you came through.
Now cast 1t at the feet OF the Christ who
you and saved me and saved us all.
Thank God, WI are never to part, and for all
the ages OF eternity you will never again
have TO ask, Where's mOther?'n