St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-09-12
CovNGToN

n COVINGTON, ST.
THE CHRISTIAN MOTHER.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Pays Her . well-
% Merited TfibutA
30 Power FOR Good On Earth Equal t.
that Of = God-KearlBg Moth.
er-lIasnah, the Neither
or Samuel E
The following discourse was deliv-
cred by Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage be-
fore his Washington congregation.
The text was: - A
Moreover his mother made him : little coat,
she came UP with hcr husband 10 offer the
yearly sacridcs--L Samuel. L., 10
The stories Of Deborah and Abigail
are very apt to discourage . woman's
soul She says within herselfs 1T is
impossible that ever achieve any such
grandeur of character, and / don't
mean to try rs 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 1 have just named. She was
an ordinary woman, with ordinary In
tellcctual capacity, placed In ordinary
circumstances, and yet by extraordi-
nary piety, standing out before all
the ages to come, the model Christian
| mother. Hannah was the wifo Of
Elkanah, who was person very much
like herself--unromantic and plain,
never having fought = battle or been
the subject of q marvellous escape.
Neither Of them would have been
called y genius. Just what you and /
might be, that was Elkanah and
Hannah. The brightest time In al the
history Of that family was the birth Of
Samuel. Although no star ran along
the heavens pointing down to birth
place, I think the angles of God
stopped at the coming of 50 wonderful
q prophet. As Samuel had been given
in answer to prayer, Elkanah and his
family, save Hannah, started up to
Shiloh to offer sacrifices Of thanksgiv-
was altar enough for Hannah's CRATE
full heart; but when the boy was old
enough she took him to Shiloh. and
took three bullocks aad 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 suppose he was well clad by the
ministry of the temple; but Hannah
could not be contented unless she was
Ill the time doing something for her
darling boy. Moreover his mother |
made him . little coat, and brought IL
to him from year to years.when she |
came up with her husband to offer the |
yearly sacrifice"
Hannah stands before you, then, to- |
day. in the first place, IS IN industri- |
GUS mother. There was no need that |
she work El<anah, 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.
l no not know; but they were distin-
guished people, 20 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
it over to Samuel, l know she is indus
trious from principle - well - from
pleasure. God would not have .
mother become q 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 : coat for Samuel.
Most mothers need no counsel In this
direction. The wrinkles on their
brow, the pallOr ON their cheek, the
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
Df motherhood. But there il . 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
selver incompetent They are igno-
rant Of what their children wear, and
what their children eat, and what
their children read. They intrust to
persons these young inn
and allow them to be under
influences which may cripple their
bodies or taint their purity, or
'poil their manner, or destroy their
souls. Prom the awkward cut Of Sam
nel's coat you know his mother Ham
,ah did not make it. Out from under
laming chandeliers, and on from inn
ported carpets. and down the granite
stairs, there is coming = great crowd
Of children in this day. unframed,
,aucy, incompetent for all the practi-
al duties Of life, ready to be caught
ia tUC Iot Whit Va CElmC 0OU 6SU8U~ 1
Atty. Indolent and unfaithful moth
ers will make indolent and unfaithful
children You can mot expect neat
ness and order in any house where the
see nothing but slatterni-
ness and neutrality-suspicious. in their
parenta Let Ha1hah b idle, and
most certainly Samuel will grow up
die.
Who sro tbo industrious men in all
our occupations and professions3 Who
ne they managing the merchandise
81 the world, building the walls, tin
ming the roofs. weaving the carpets,
making the laws. governing the ma
lions, making tho earth TO quake and
heave and roar and rattle with the
Iread OF gigantic enterpriseY Who
IRE they? For the most part they
descended from industrious mothers,
who, IN the old homestead. used to
spin their own yarn, and weave their
,wn carpets, and plait their own door