Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-07-31
TALMAGE'S SERMON
INTERESTING THEME By THE
WASHINGTON PREACHER
Subject. "a Christian Mother"

10
The stories Of Deborah and Abigail are
very apt 10 discourage a w0man's soul. She
says within herself. at Is impossible that
ever achieve any such grandeur Of charac'
ter. and don't mean 10 try, a. though
child should refuse 10 play the eight notes
because he 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 In ordinary circumstances, and yet
by extraordinary piety, Standing out tetore
all the ages to come the ideal Christian
mother. Hannah was the wife OF Elkanahf
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 genius. Just what You and might
be that was Elkanah aud Hannah. The
brightest time In all the history Of that lam
fly 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
prophet. As Samuel had been given in an
swer to prayer, Elkanah AMI all his family
save Hannah started up to Shiloh TO offer
sacrifices OF Thanksgiving. The cradle where
tn" "a "a slept was altar enough for Han
NAH = grateful heart, but when the hoy was
old enough she took him to Shiloh aud took
three bullocks and an epah Of -four and a
bottle OF wine aud made Offering OF sacrifice
unto the Lord. and there, according TO a
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, aud every year Hannah
made with her own hand a garment for
Samuel and took II over to him. The lad
would 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 a little coat and
brought II 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 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 werh 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, il there had been any to read;
but. when | sec her making that garment
and taking 1t over 10 Samuel, | know she Is
industrious from principle as well as from
pleasure. God would not have a mother be-
come drudge or slave; he would have heI
employ all the helps possible in this day in
the rearing Of her children. But Hannah
I 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 thimble mark on their finger, at.
test that they are faithful In their motherly
duties The bloom and the brightness and
the yivacity of githOod have gveu
place TO the grander dignity and useful
ness and industry Of motherhood. But Their,
is O heathenish idea getting abroad II
some Of the families OF Americans; there ar,
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 thei
children wear, aud what their children eat
and what their children read. They inlrus
to irresponsible persons these young i'm
mortaIs and allow them to be under infiu
ences which may cripple their bodies, o
faint their purity, or spoil their manners, o
destroy their souls From the awkward Gu
OF Samuels coat you know his mother Han
nah did not make II.
81 AIM umuvr flaming cnanueners au,
of from imported carpets, and down tn
granite stairs there IS coming a great crow
OF children in this day, unframed, saucy
incompetent for all the practical duties o
OF life, ready to be caught in the first whir
OF crime and sensuality. Indolent and un
faithful mothers will make indolent and I'm
faithful children. You cannot expect neat
ness AMI order in any house where tn
daughters see nothing but slatternlines
and upside downativeness in their parents
Let Hannah be idle, and most certainl
Samuel will grow up idle. Who are the in
dustrious men in all our occupations an,
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 t,
quake and heaye and roar and rattle wit
the tread OF gigantic enterprises Who ar
they? For the most part they descende
from industrious mothers who In the oil
homestead used TO spin their own yarn an
weave their own carpets and plat their owl
doormats and flag their own chairs and d
their own work. The stalwart men and tn
Influential women of this day. ninety-nin
out OF 100 Of them, came from such an illus
trious ancestry Of hard Knuekles and home
spun. And who are these people In societ,
light as froth blown every whittier OF tenn
Stories the dancing jacks of political pa
ties, the scum of society, the tavern loung
Ing, store tnfesting, the men of low win
and filthy chuckle and brass breastpin an
rotten associations2 For the most part the
came from mothers idle and disgusting, tn
| scandal mongers of society, going fror
house to house attending to everybody
business but their own, believing in witohe
and ghosts and horseshoes to keep the dew
AI La ~ 1 IL
! ting their children on the very verge OF he'll
The mothers of Samuel Johnson and of Al
fred the Great and OF Isaac Newt on and {
St Augustine and of Richard Cecil and c
President Edwards for the most pars Wer
industrious, hard working mothers.
Now, while l congratulate all Chrlstia
mothers upon the wealth and the moder
science which may afford them all kinds c
help, let me say that every mother ought t
be obseryant of her Ghildren's walk, her chi
8 dren's behavior her ohiidren's food. her Chi
I dren's books, her children's companionshIr
However much help hannah may have.
think she ought every year, at least, to max
ono sarmant for Samuel. The Lord hav
] 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 /
which she talked in this chapter, and frol
the way she managed this boy, you know sh
a was intelligent, There are no persons in
! community who need to be so wise and we
informed as mothers. Oh, this work Of GU
turing children for this world and the mex
This child is timid, and it must be reused u
a and pushed out into activities This child
' forward, and he must be held back an
b famed down into modesty and politenes
9 Rewards for one, punishments for anothe
/ That which will make George will rui
! John. The rod is necessary In one cas-,
: while Il frown of Gispleasure is NOR
4 than enough in another, Whipping an
7 dark closet do not exhaust al tn
. rounds of domestic discipline. There hay
been children who have grown up and gon
10 glory without ever having their ear
boxed, Oh, how much care and iptelligenc
1 are necessary in the rearing OF children BIZ
;, In this day, when there are so many book
on this subject no parent il eXcnsabe In b.