The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-07-30
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
TEE NOTED DIVINE's SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subject: "a Christian Mother"

TEXT: 'Moreover 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 yearly sacrifice. II Samuel H.,
10.
The stories of Deborah and Abigail are
very apt to discourage womanS soul. She
says within herself at is impossible that
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 | just named. She was an ordinary
woman. with ordinary intellectual capacity,
placed 10 ordinary circumstances, and yet.
by ext raordinary 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 a marvellous
escape. Neither of them would have been
called a 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 the coming of so wonderful q
prophet. AS Samuel had been given in an
| swer to prayer, Elkanah and all his family
sacrifices of than sgiviug. The cradle where
the child slept was altar enough for Han
| nah's grateful heart, but when the boy was
old enough she took him to Shiloh and took
three hullOcks and an epah of flour and a
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 gar
ment. for suppose he was we'll 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 a little coat and
brought 1t 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. Elkanah,
her husband, was far from poor. He be-
longed to 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 they?" 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
and dishevelvad 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 know she is
| industrious from principle a. we'll as from
pleasure. God would not have mother be-
come drudge or slave; 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 a coat for Samuel. Most mothers
need no counsel in this direction, The
wrinkles on their brow, the pallor on their
cheek, the thimble mark on their finger, at
test that they are faithful In their motherly
duties. The bloom and the brightness and
the vivacity Of girhood have given
place to the grander dignity and useful
ness and industry Of motherhood. But there
Is 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, aud what their children eat
and what their children read. They intrust
to irresponsible persons these young i'm
mortals and allow them to be under influ-
ences which may cripple their bodies, or
faint their purity, or spoil their manners, or
destroy their souls. From the awkward cut
OF samuers coat you know his mother Han
nah did not make it.
Out from under flaming chandeliers, and
of 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 sensuality. 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 slatternliness
and upside downativeness in their parents.
Let Hannah be idle and most certainly
Samuel will grow up idle. Who are the in
dustrous men In all our occupations and
professions? Who are they managing
the merchandise of the world. build.
Ing the walls, timing the roofs
weaving tho carpets, making the laws
governing the nations, making the earth to
J quake and 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 ole
. homestead used to spin their own yarn ant
weave their own carpets and plat their OWE
doormats and flag their own chairs and dc
their own work. The stawart men and the
influential women of this day, ninety-nint
out of 100 of them, came from such an illus
trious ancestry Of hard knuckles and home
spun. And who are these people in ociety
light as froth, blown every whittier of tenn
| tatlon and fashlon-the peddlers of filth
stories, the dancing Jacks of political par
ties, the scum Of society, the tavern loung
ing, store infesting, the men OF low wint
and filthy chuckle and brass breastpin ant
rotten associations? For the most part the,
came from mothers idle and disgusting. th,
scandal mongers of society, going from
, mouse to house attending to everybody
business but their own. believing in witches
and ghosts and horseshoes to keep the dev;
oct 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 Newto on and O
st. Augustine and Of Richard Cecil and O
| President Edwards for the most part wer
industrious. hard working mothers.
Now, while 1 congratulate all Christian
mothers upon the wealth and the moderl
science which may afford them all kinds O
help. let me say that every mother ought +
be observant of her children's walk, her chill
drens behavior, her children's food, her chill
drens books, her chjldren's companionshir
\ However much help Hannah may have,
I think she ought every year, at least, to max
one garment for Samuel The Lord hay
mercy on the man who is so unfortunate a
to have had lazy mother!
Again. Hannah stands before YOU to-day a
an intelligent mother. From the way i
which she talked in this chapter, and IroI
~ 1r-ux hn AL 1