The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-12

musical instruments of all sorts to re-
gale him, and when life had passed the
neighbors came out and carried him
to the village Machpelah and put him
down besides the Rachel with whon
he had lived more han half a century.
Share your successes with the old pep
pie. The probability is that the princi-
pies they inculcated achieved your for
tune. Give them a Christian percen-
tage of kindly consideration. Let
Joseph divide with Jacob the pasture
fields Of Goshen and the glories of the
Egyptian court.
A TRIBUTE TO THE SPINISTER.
And here / would like to sing the
praises of the sisterhood who remain
ed unmarried that they might admin
lister to aged parents. The brutal
world calls these self sacrificing n
peculiar or angular, but if you had
had as many as they have
had Xantippe would have been an
angel compared with you. 1t is easier
to take care of five rollicking, romp-
ing children that of one childish old
man. Among the best women of our
land are those who allowed the bloom
of life to pass away while they were
caring for their parents. While other
maidenS We're asleep they We're soak
ing the old mans feet or tucking up
Tic SoNSlo dIooIlu Tx iolllc
While other maidens were in the cotil-
Ion they were dancing attendance upon
rheumatism and spreading plasterS for
the lame back of the se~ptuagenarian
and heating catnip tea for insomnia.
In almost every circle Of our kindred
there has been some queen Of self sac
rifice to whom jeweled hand after
jeweled hand was offered in marriage,
but who staid on the old place because
of tho cnnCn Of f1io1 nh1iOofinn until
the health was gone and the attrac-
tiveness Of personal presence had van
ished. Brutal society may call such a
one by a nickname. God calls her
daughter, and heaven calls her saint,
and I call her domestic martyr. A half
dozen ordinary women have not as
much nobility as could be found in the
smallest joint of the little finger Of
her left hand. Although the world has
stood 5000 years, this is the first apo
theosis of m~aidenhood, although in the
long line of hos who have declined
marriage hat they might be qualified
fro some especial mission are the names
Of Anna Ross and Margaret Breckin-
ridge and Mary Shelton and Anna
Etheridge and Georgiana Willetts, the
angels of the battlefields of Fair Oaks
n Lookout Mountain M Chancel-
lorsville and Cooper Shop hospital, and,
though single life has been honored by
the fact that the three grandest men
of the Bible, John and Paul and Christ,
were celibates.
over THE HILLS TO THE
PALACE"
Let the ugrateful world sheer at the
maiden aunt, but God has a. throne
burning for her arrival, and on one
side Of that throne in heaven there is
a vase containing two jewels, the one
brighter than the KOhinoor of london
Tower and the other larger than any
diamond eve found in the districts of
Golconda-the one jewel by h lapi-
dairy of the palace cut with the words,
'Inasmuch as We did it to father" the
other jewel by the lapidary of the pal
ace cut with the words, 'Inasmuch as
We did it to mother" lover the hills
to the Poorhouse" is the exquisite bal
lad of Will Carleton, who found an old
woman who had been turned OF by her
prospered ons but I thank God I
may find in my text, lover h hills to
the palace"
As II to disgust us with unhlial con-
duct, the Bible presents us with the
shekels from his mother, and the story
Of Absalom, who tried to dethrone his
father. But all history is beautiful
with stories of flial fidelity. Epam-
inondas, the warrior, found his chief
delight in reciting to his parents his
victories. There goes Aeneas from
burning Troy, on his shoulders Anchis-
es, his father. The Athenians pun
ished with death any unfilial conduct.
There goes beautiful Ruth ~escorting
amid the bowling of the wolves and the
barking af h jackals. John Jaw
renee, burned at the stake in Colches-
ter, was cheered in the flames by his
children, who said, "Oh, God
strengthen thy servant and keep thy
promise" And Christ in the hour of
e~xcruciation provided for his Ole
mother. Jacob kept his resolution, Il
will go and see him before I die" and
a little while after we find them walk
ing the tessellated foor of the palace,
Jacob and Joseph. the prime minister
proud of the shepherd.
1 may cay in regard to the most of
o that our parents have probably
visited YOU for the last time or will
soon pay o UGH a visit, and I have
wondered if they will ever visit you in
h kings palace. "Oh." o say, II
am in the pit of SIM" Joseph was in
the pit. "Oh," O say, Il am in the