The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-07-17

dour, and by stoves In which there Is no fire,
and wardrobes in which there are no clothes
a woman is irresistible. Passing on her
errand, God says to her, "You so
into that bank or store or shop
and get the money" She goes in and gets
it. The man is hard fsted, but she gets 1t.
She could not help but get it. 1t is decreed
from eternity she should get it. No need OF
your turning your back and pretending you
don't hear. You do hear. There Is no need
Of your saying you are begged to death.
There Is no need Of your wasting your time,
and you might as we'll submit first as last.
You had better right away take down your
checkbook. mark the number of the cheek,
fill up the blank, sign your name and hand
1t to her. There Is no need OF wasting time.
Those poor children on the back street have
been hungry long enough. That sick man
must have some farina- That consumptive
must have something to ease his cough. I
meet this delegate Of a relief society coming
out of the store of such a hard flsted man,
and I say, "Did you get the money!" "Of
course" she says, II got the money. That's
what I went for. The Lord told me to 60
in and get it. and He never sends me on
FOOLS errand."
Again. I have to tell you that it is woman's
specific right to comfort under the stress OF
dire disaster. She is called the weaker ves-
sell, but all profane as we'll as sacred history
astests that when the crisis comes she Is bet
ter prepared than man to meet the emer-
gency. How often you have seen woman
who seemed to be disciple Of frivolity and
Incidence, who, under one stroke Of calam-
ity, changed to heroine! Oh, what great
mistake those business men make who never
tell their business troubles to their wives!
There comes some great loss to their store or
some of their companions in business play
them sad trick, and they carry the burden
all alone. He is asked In the household
again and again, "What is the matter?" but
he believes It a sort of Christian duty to keep
all that trouble within his own soul. Oh,
sir, your first duty was to tell your wife
all about it. She perhaps might not have
disentangled your finances or extended
your credit. but she would have helped
YOU to bear misfortune. You have no right
to carry on one shoulder that which is in
tended for two. There are business men who
know what mean. There comes a crisis in
your affairs. You struggle brayely and long,
but after awhile there comes day when
you say. "Here shall have to STOP" and
you call in Jour partners, and you call In
the most prominent men in your employ,
and you say, 1--WE have to stop" You leave
the store suddenly. You can scarcely make
up your mind to pass through the street and
over on bridge or on the ferryboat. You
feel everybody will be looking at you, and
blaming you, and denouncing you. You
hasten home: You tell your wife all about
the affairs. What does she say? Does she
play the butterfly? Does she talk about the
silks, and the ribbons, and the fashions? No.
She comes up to the emergency. She quails
not under the stroke. She helps you to be-
gin to plan right away. She offers to 60 out
of the comfortable house into smaller one
and wear the old cloak another winter. She
is one who understands your affairs without
blaming you. You look upon what you
thought was a thin, weak woman's arm
holding you up, but while you look at that
arm there comes into the feeble muscles OF
it the strength OF the eternal God. No child
ing. No fretting. No telling you about the
beautiful house Of her father, from which
you brought her, ten. twenty or thirty years
ago. You say: "Well, this Is the happiest
day of my life. am glad I have got from
under my burden. My wife don't care-1
don't care" At the moment you were ut
terly exhausted God sent Deborah to meet
the host of the Amalekites and scatter them
like chaff over the plain.
There are sometimes women who sit read
ing sentimental novels, and who wish that
they had some grand field In WHICH to dis
play their Christian powers. Oh. what grand
and glorious things they could do If they
only had an opportunity! My sister, you
need not wait for any such time. A crisis
will come in your affairs. There will be q
Thermopyle in your own household, where
God will tell you to stand. There are hun
dreds of households where as much courage ts
demanded Of woman as was exhibited by
Grace Darling or Marie Antoinette or Joan
of Arc.
Woman is further endowed to bring us
into the kingdom Of heaven. 1t Is easier for
a woman to be Christian than for man.
Why? You say she Is weaker. No. Her
heart Is more responsive to the pleadings OF
divine love. The fact that she can more
easily become Christian prove by the
statement that three-fourths of the members
of the churches in all Christendom are
women. So God appoints them to be the
chief agencies for bringing this world back
to God. The greatest sermons are moi
preached on celebrated platforms. They are
preached with an audience OF two or three
and in private home life. A patient, loving,
Christian demeanor in the presence OF trans
gressioa, in the presence Of hardness, In the
presence Of obduracy and crime, Is an argu-
ment from the force OF which no man can
escape.
Lastly, one Of the specific rights OF woman
is, through the grace Of Christ, finally to
reach heaven. Oh, what multitude OF
women in heaven! Mary, Christ's mother,
in heaven; Elizabeth Fry In heaven, Char.
lotte Elizabeth in heaven, the mother OF
ingdon, who sold her splendid jewels to build
chapels, in HEAVIER, while great many others
who have never been heard of on earth OF
known but little have gone to the rest and
peace Of heaven. What rest! What q
change it was from the small room. with NO
fire and one window; the glass broken out,
and the aching side and vornout eyes, to the
"house of many mansions!" No more stitch.
ing until IL o'clock at night, no more thrust.
ing Of the thumb by the employer through
the work to show that it was not done quite
right. Plenty Of bread at last. Heaven fol
aching heads. Heaven for broken hearts.
Heaven for anguish bitten frames. No more
sitting up until midnight for the coming o'
staggering steps. No more rough blows
across the temples. No more sharp, keen,
bitter curses.
Some of you will have no rest in this
world. It will be toll and struggle and suf.
fering all the way up. You will have to
stand at your door fighting back the wolf
with your own hand, red with carnage.
But God has a crown for you. I want
you to realize that He is now making
it, and whenever you weep tear He
sets another gem in that crown; when.
ever you have a pang Of body OF
soul He puts another gem into that crown,
until, after awhile, in all the tiara there vii!
be no room for another splendor, and Goo
will say to His angel, "The crown is done
let her up that she may wear it." And as
the Lord of Righteousness puts the crowr
upon your brow angel will cry to angel
"Who is she?" and Christ will say: "f vii
tell you who she Is. She is the one that came
up out Of great tribulation and had her robe
washed and made white in the blood Of the
Lamb" And then God will spread banquet
and He will invite all the principalitles Of