The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-07-31
THE CHRISTIAN MOTHER.
Rev. DR. Talmage Pays Her Well
Merited Tribute.
No Power for Good on Earth Equal to
that of a God-Fearing Moth
er-Hannah. the Mother
Of Samuel


erred by Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage be-
fore his Washington congregation.
The text was:
More over his mother made him little coat,
and brought 1t to him from year to year, when
she came up with her husband to offer the
yearly sacrifce.-I Samuel, it,, 49,
The stories of Deborah and Abigail
are very apt to discourage a womans
soul. She says within herself: 1T is
impossible that l ever achieve any such
grandeur of character, and | don't
mean to try" as though child should
refuse to play the eight notes because
he can not execute William Tell. This
Hannah of the text differs from the
persons have just named. She was
an ordinary woman, with ordinary IN
tellectual capacity, placed in ordinary
circumstances, and yet, by extraoral-
mary piety, standing out before all
the ages to come, the model Christian
mother. Hannah was the wife OF
Eikanah who was person very much
like herself--unromantic and plain,
never having fought battle or been
the subject of marvellous escape.
Neither of them would have been
called genius. Just what you and L
might be, that was Elkanah and
Hannah. The brightest time in all the
history of that family was the birth OF
Samuel. Although no star ran along
the heavens pointing down to birth
place, / think the angles OF God
stopped at the coming of so wonderful
IN prophet. As Samuel had been given
in answer to prayer, Elkanah and his
family, save Hannah, started up to
Shiloh to offer sacrifices of thanksg1v-
ing. The cradle where the child slept
was altar enough for Hannahs CRATE
full heart; but when the boy was old
enough she took him to Shiloh, and
took three bullocks and an ephah of
-four and bottle of wine, and made
offering of sacrifice unto the Lord, and
there, according to previous vow,
she left him; for there he was to stay
all the days of his life, and minister in
the sanctuary. Years rolled on; and
every year Hannah made with her own
hand garment for Samuel, and took
it over to him. The lad would have
got along well without that garment,
for I suppose he was well clad by the
ministry of the temple; but Hannah
could not be contented unless she was
all the time doing something for her
darling boy. Moreover his mother
made him a little coat, and brought it
to him from year to year, when she
came UP with her husband to offer the
yearly sacrifice"
Hannah stands before you, then, to-
day, in the first place, as an industri-
Gus mother There was no need that
abe work. Elkanah, her husband, was
far from poor. He belonged to dis
tinguished family; for the Bible tells
us that he was the son of Jeroham, the
son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son
of Zuph. 'Who are they?" you say.
j no not know; but they were distin-
;guished people, no doubt, or their
names would not have been mem
toned. Hannah might have seat
ed herself in her family and,
with folded arms and disheveled hair,
read novels from year to year, if there
had been any to read; but when l see
her making that garment and taking
1t over to Samuel, know she is indus
trious from principle as well as from
pleasure. God would not have a
mother become a drudge or slave;
He would have her employ all the
helps possible in this day in the rear
ing of her children. But Hannah
ought never to be ashamed to be
found making a coat for Samuel.
Most mothers need no counsel in this
an xx,rin1y1aS THAR
brow, the pallor on their cheek, the
fhimble-mark on their finger, attest
that they are faithful in their ma
ternal duties. The bloom and the
brightness and the vivacity of girl
hood have given place to the grander
dignity and usefulness and industry
of motherhood. But there is heath
enish idea getting abroad in some of
the families of Americans; there are
mothers who Danish themselves from
the home circle. For three-fourths of
their maternal duties they prove them
solver incompetent. They are igno-
rant of what their children wear, and
what their children eat, and what
their children read. They intrust to
irresponsible persons these young inn
mortals, and allow them to be under
influences which may cripple their
bodies, or faint their purity, or
spoil their manner, or destroy their
souls. From the awkward cut of Sam
uel's coat you know his mother Ham
nah did not make it. Out from under
flaming chandeliers, and off from i'm
ported carpets, and down the granite
stairs, there is coming great crowd
of children In this day, unframed,
saucy, incompetent for all the practi-
cal duties of life, ready to be caught