The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-08-06
REY, DR.. TALMAGB.
DISCOURSE BIZ TH1
NorKD DIVINE
Subject: "a Christian Mother"

The stories Of Deborah and Abigail are
very apt to discourage a woman's soil. She
says within herself, ut is impossible that |
ever achieve any such grandeur Of eharac4
ter, and don't mean TO try" as though
child should refuse to play the eight notes
because no cannot execute a william Tell.
This Hannah of the text differs from the per-
sons | just named. She was an ordinary
woman, with ordinary Intellectual capacity,
placed io ordinary circumstances, and yet.
by extraordinary piety, standing out before
all the ages to come the ideal Christian
mother. Hannah was the wife OF Elkanah,
who was person very much like herself
unromantic and plain, never having fought
a battle or been the subject OF a marvellous
escape. Neither OF them would have been
called a genius. Just what you and [ might
be that was Elkanah and Hannah Tho
brightest time in all the history Of that fam
lily was the birth CT Samuel. Although no
star ran e,cng the heavens pointing down to
hts birthplace, l think the angels of God
stopped at the coming Of 50 wonderful
prophet. As Samuel had been given in an
swer to prayer, Elkanah and all his family
save Hannah started up to Shiloh to offer
sacrifices of Thanksgiving. The cradle Nfiaie
the child silent was altar enough for Han
nah's grateful heart. but when the boy was
old enough she took him TO Shiloh and took
three bullocks and an epah Of -four and u
bottle OF wine and made Offering of sacrifice
unto the Lord, and there, according to a
previous vow, she loft him. for there he was
to stay all the days of his life and minister
In the sanctuary.
Years rolled on, ard every year Hannah
made with her own hand garment for
Samuel andt it over to him. The lad
wotid have got along we'll without that gar
ment. for 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 idolized boy. "More-
over, his mother made him n littl0 coat and
brought it TO him from year to year. when
she came up with her husband to offer the
annual Sacrifice"
Hannah stands before you. then, to-day.
In the first place, as an industrious mother.
There was no need that she work. El1anah,
her husband, was far from poor. He be-
longed to a distinguished family, for the
Bible tells us that hg was the son of Jetohait,
the son of Elibn, the son OF Tohu, the son Of
Zuph. who wero theSR' you say. | do
not know, but they were distinguished peo-
pie, no doubt, or their names would not have
been mentioned. Hannah might have seated
herself in her family, and, with folded arms
and dishevelved hair, read novels, from
year to year, II there had beer any 10 read,
but, when ] see her making that asYnent
iuu tdhluS IL OVER 10 DtIHutl KNOW Snb Is
industrious from principle as well as from
pleasure. God would not nave mother be-
come drudge or a slave; he would have her
employ all the helne possible in this day in
the rearing OF her children. But Hannah
Dug Apever to be ashamed to be found
maHng q coat for Samuel Most mothers
,feed no counsel in this direction, The
wrinkles en- their brow, the pallor on their
cheek, the thimble mark on their finger, at
hnt Fuit fail ,loi-
duties. The bloom and the brightness and
the vivacity OF grlhood have given
place to the grander dignity and useful
ness and industry of motherhood. But there
is a heathenish 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 ma
ternal duties they prove themselves incoln-
petent They are ignorant of what their
children Wear, and what their children eat,
and what their children read. They inlrust
to irresponsible persons these young i'm
mortals and allow them to be under intlu-
ences which may cripple their bodies, or
faint their purity, or spoil their manners, or
destroy their souls. From the awkward cut
of Samueis coat you know his mother Han
nah did not make it.
Out from under flaming chandeliers, and
off from imported carpets, and down the
granite stairs there is coming great crowd
of children in this day, unframed. saucy,
incompetent for all the practical duties of
of life, ready to be caught in the first whirl
of crime and sensuaity. Indolent and I'M
faithful mothers will make indolent and I'M
faithful children. You cannot expect neat
ness and order in any house where the
daughters see nothing but slatte-nliness
and upside downativeness in their parents.
Let Hannah be idle, and most certainly
Samuel will grow up idle, Who are the in
dustrious men in all our occupations and
professions? Who are they managing
the merchandise of the world, build
ing the walls, timing the roofs,
weaving the carpets, making the laws,
governing the nations, making the earth to
quake aud heave and roar and rattle with
the tread of gigantic enterprises? Who are
they? For the most part they descended
from industrious mothers who in the old
homestead used to spin their own yarn and
weave their own carpets and plat their own
doormats and flag their own chairs and do
their own work. The stalwart men and the
influential women of this day, ninety-nine
out of 100 of them, came from such an illus
trious ancestry of hard knuckles and home
spun. And who are these people in society
light as froth, blown every whittier of temp
tation and fashion-the peddlers of filthy
stories, the dancing jacks of political par
ties, the scum of society, the tavern loung-
ing, store infesting. the men of low wink
and filthy chuckle and brass breastpin and
rotten associations? For the most part they
came from mothers idle and disgusting. the
scandal mongers OF society, going from
house to house attending to everybody's
business but their own. believing in witches
and ghosts and horseshoes to keep the devil
out OF the churn, and by a goddess life set
ting their children on the very verge of hell.
The mothers of Samuel Johnson and of AL
fred the Great and of Isaac Newton and of
st. Augustine and of Richard Cecil and of
President Edwards for the most part were
industrious, hard working mothers.
Now, while | congratulate all Christian
mothers upon the wealth and the modern
science which may afford them all kinds of
help, let me say that every mother ought to
be observant OF her children's walk her chit
dren's behavior, her children food, her chill
dren's books, her childrens companionship.
However much help Hannah may have, [
THINK she ought every year, at least, to make
one garment for Samuel. The Lord have
mercy on the man who is so unfortunate as
to have had lazy mother!
Again, Hannah stands before you to-day as
an intelligent mother From the way in
which she talked in this chapter, and from
the way she managed this boy, you know she
was intelligent There are no persons in a
community who need to be so wise and well
informed as mothers. Oh, this work of Gull
turing children for this world and the next
This child is timid. and it must be reused up
and pushed out into activities This child is
forward, and he must be held back and