The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-06-05
the household that lived. have. erow1

! the household that lived. have. grown
mp, and they are all Christians
the father and mother leading thu
way and the children following What
care the mother took of wardrobe and
education, character and manners
hard she sometimes worked! When the
head of the household was unfortunate
In business she sewed until her fingers
were numb and bleeding at the tips.
And what close calculation Of econo.
mics and what ingenuity In refitting
the garments OF the elder children
Tor the younger, ard only God kept
account of that mothers sideaches
and heada ches and henrtaches and the
tremulous prayers by the side Of tho
sick child's cradle and by the couch OF
this one fully grown. The neighbors
often noticed how tired she looked, and
old acquaintance hardly knew herin
the street But without complaint
she waited and toiled and endured and
accomplished all these years. The
children are out in the world-an
honor to themselves and their
parents. After awhile the mothers
last sickness comes. Children and
grandchildren, summoned from afar,
come softly into the room one
by one, for she is too weak to see more
than one at time. She runs her dy-
ing fingers lovingly through their
hair and tells them not to cry, and
that she is going now. but they will
meet again in a little while in better
world, aid then kisses them good-by
and says to each: God bless and keep
you, my dear child" The day of the
obsequies comes, and the oficiat-
ing clergyman tells the story OF
wifely and motherly endurance,
and many hearts on earth and
in Heaven echo the sentiment, and as
she Is carried off the stage of this NOR
tai life there are cries Of Faithful un.
to death;" ''She hath done what she
could" while ovsrpowering all the
voices Of earth and Heaven is the plau-
dit Of the God who watched her from
first to last, saying; SWELL done, good
and faithful servant; thou hast been
over few things, will make
thee ruler over many things; enter
thou into the joy of thy Lordr"
But what became Of the father OF
that household? He started as . young
man in business and had a small in-
come, snd having got a little ahead,
sickness in the family swept it all
away. He went through all the busi,
ness rpsnics OF 40 years, met many
osses, and suffered many betrsyais.
put kept right on. trusting i'm God,
business was good or poor.
'etting his children q good ex-
ample and giving them the best of
counsel, and never a prayer did he
'ffer for all those years but. they were
in VI. He is old new, and I
ealizes it can mot be long before he
must quit all these scenes. But he is
soing to leave, his children an inner
tance of prayer and Christians princf-
lies which all the defalca tions,of earth
an never touch, and as he goes out Of
he world the Church of God, blesses
i'm and the poor ring his do0r-beli
o see IL he isany better, and his grave
; surrounded by q multitude who
vent on foot and stood there before
he procession of carriages came up
nd some say There will be- NO one
o take his PLACES" and Others say4
Who will pity nae now?" and others
emark: HE shall be held in everlaste
ng remembrance." And as the draans
# his life closes. all the vociferatbom
and encores that ever shook |
he amphitheaters of earthly spectacle
we're tame and feeble compared with
he long, loud thunders of approval
lesses in the piled-up gallery Of the
leavens. Choose We between the Life
hat shall close by being Missed off the
tage land the life that shall close
mid acclamations supernal and arch
.ngelic. f# %s 8@ vbHa
Oh, men and women on the stage of
life, many of you in the first acS Of the
rama, and others in. the second, and
ONE Of you in the third, and few in
he fourth, and here and there one in
he fifth, but all Of you between en-
rance and exit, i quote to You as
he peroration of this sermon the
most suggestive passage that Shaks-
,eare ever wrote, although You never
heard it recited. The author has often
,een claimed as infidel and atheistc, so
he quotation shall be not only re-
igiously helpful to ourselves, but
,randly vindicatory of the greatest
lramatist. I quote from bis last will
md testament
I'm the name of God, Amen. I,
William Shakespeare, of Stratford-
in the county of War
wick, gentleman. in perfect health
md memory (God be praised), do make