Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-07-31
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Washington Divine'S
Sunday Sermon.
Subject: ga Christian Mother"

TExTs moreover bis mother made him O
little coat and brought 1t to him from year
TO year when she came up with her husband
10 oi1er the yearly sacrifice II Samuel H..
19.
The stories Of Deborah and Abigail are
very apt to discourage woman's soul. She
says within herself, at is impossible that I
ever achieve any such grandeur Of charac.
ter, and don't mean to try" as though a
child should refuse to play the eight notes
because he cannot execute "William Tell. "
This Hannah of the text differs from the per-
sons l just named. She was an ordinary
woman, with ordinary intellectual capacity,
placed 10 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
battle or been the subject OF marvellous
escape. Neither Of them would have been
called genius. Just what you and might
be that was Elkanah and Hannah. The
brightest time in all the history of that fam
lily was the birth OF Samuel. Although no
star ran along the heavens pointing down to
his birthplace, | think the angels Of God
stopped at tho coming OF 80 wonderful a
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 where
the child slept was altar enough for Han
Dah's grateful heart, but when the hoy was
old enough she took him to Shiloh and took
three bullocks and an epah of flour apd
bottle of wine and made Offering OF sacrifice
unto the Lord, and there, according to q
previous VOW, she left him, for there he was
to stay all the days of mis- life and minister
In the sanctuary.
Years rolled on, and every year Hannah
made with her own hand garment for
Samuel and took 1t over TO him. The lad
would have got along we'll without that gar
ment. for | suppose he was we'll cal 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 little 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. ElkGnab
her husband, was far from poor. He be-
longed to a distinguished 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 were they2" 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. If there had been any to read;
but. when 1 SEQ her making that garment
and taking it over to Samuel, l know she is
industrious from principle as we'll as from
pleasure. God would not have q mother be-
come a drudge or slaves he would have her
employ all the helps possible in this day in
the rearing 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, Tho
wrinkles on their brow, the palor on their
cheek, the thimbe mark on their finger, at
test that they are faithful in their motherly
duties. The bloom and the brightness and
the vivacity OF girlhood 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 incom-
petent. They are ignorant of what their
children wear, and what their children eat,
and what their children read. They thrust
to irresponsible persons these young inn
mortais and allow them to be under infiu-
ences which may cripple their bodies, or
faint their purity, or spoil their manners, or
destroy their souls. From the awkward cut
of Samueps 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 q 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 sensuality. Indolent and I'M
faithful mothers will make indOlent and I'm.
faithful children. You cannot expect neat
ness AMI order in any house where the
daughters see nothing but slatternlinesS
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 and heave and roar and rattle with
the tread OF gigantic enterprises? VINO arc
they? For the most part they descended
from industrious mothers who in the old
HON stead used TO spin their own yarn and
weave their own carpets and plait their own
doormats and flag their own chairs and do
their own work. The staIwart 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, tho men OF low wink
and filthy chuckle and brass breastpin and
rotten associations? For the most part they
camo from mothers idle and disgusting, the
scandal mongers Of society, going from
house 10 house attending 10 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 l 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 chill
dren's behavior, hor childrens food, her chill
dren's books, her children's 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 Us
to have had lazy mother!