Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-10-08
REVERENCE FOR AGE.
JOSEPH AND HIS DEVOTION TO HIS
OLD FATHER.

l DIR. Talmage breaches a Sermon on Fa-
therly Love and Fillal Devotion Rus
ticity In n Palace-The migrate and the
Pate That Should BE His.
copyright. 1897. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
! WASHINGTON, Oct 3.--Dr. Talmage
in his sermon shows us a scene Of ten
derness and reverence and tells us how
we ought to treat old people. His text is
Genesis xiv, 2S. II will 90 and see him
before die"
Jacob had long since passed the hun
dred year milestone. In those times peo-
pie were distinguished for longevity. In
the centuries after persons lived to great
age. Galen, the most celebrated ply
sician Of his time took so little Of his
own medicine that he lived to l40 years.
A man of undoubted veracity ON the
witness stand in England swOre that he
remembered an event 100 years before.
Lord Bacon speaks Of countess who
had cut three sets Of teeth and died at
l40 years Joseph Crele Of Pennsylya-
mia lived 40 years. In 1857 book was
printed containing the names Of 81 per-
sons who lived l40 years, and the names
of IL persons who lived 100 years
Among the grand old people Of whom
we have record was Jacob, the shepherd
of the text. But he had a bad lot of
boys They were jealous and ambitious
and every way unprincipled. Joseph,
however, seemed to be an exception,
but ne had been gone many years, and
the probability was that he was dead
As sometimes now in house you will
find kept at the table a vacant chair, a
plate, a knife, fork, for some deceased
member of the family, so Jacob kept in
his heart a place for his beloved Joseph.
| There sits the old man, the flock of l40
years in their fight having alighted
long enough to leave the marks of their
claw on forenead and cheek and temple.
His long beard SHOWS down over his
chest His eyes are somewhat dim, and
he can see farther when they are closed
than when they are open, for he can see
full Rachel. his wife, was living and his
children shook the oriental abode with
their merriment
The Dead Alive.
The centenarian is sitting dreaming
over the past when he hears a wagon
rumbling to the front door. He gets up
and goes to the door to see who has ar
rived, and his long absent sons from
Egypt come in and announce to him
that Joseph, instead of being dead, is
living in an Egyptian palace, with all
the inyestiture Of prime minister, next
to the king in the mightiest empire Of
all the world The news was too sudden
and too glad for the old man, and his
cheeks whiten, and he has a daZed look
and his staff falls out of his hand, and
he would have dropped had not the sons
caught him and led him to lounge
and put cold water on his face and
famed him a little
In that half delirium the old man
mumbles something about his son Jo-
seph. He says: "You don't mean Jo-
seph, do you--my dear son who has
been dead so long: You don't mean
Joseph, do your" But after they had |
fully resuscitated him and the news !
was confirmed the tears begin their
winding way down the crossroads Of |
the wrinkles, and the sunken lips Of the /
old man culver, and he brings his bent
fingers together as he says: Joseph is
vet alive will go and see him before |
die. "
1t did not take the old man a great
while to get ready, warrant you. He
put on the best clothes that the shep- |
herds wardrobe could afford He got
into the wagon. aud though the aged
are cautious and like to ride slow the
wagon did not get along fast enough for
this old man, and when the wagon with
the old man met Josephs chariot COM
ing down to meet him and Joseph got
out of the chariot and got into the wag-
on and threw his arms around his IA
theirs neck it was an antithesis OF roy
atty and rusticity, of simplicity and
pomp, Of filial affection and paternal
love, which leaves us so much in doubt
whether we had better laugh or cry,
that we do both. So Jacob kept the res
olution Of the text will 90 and see
him before die. y
The Cord That Is Not Snapped.
What a strong and unfailing thing is
narental attachment Was it not almost
time for Jacob to forget Joseph? The
hot suns of many summers had blazed
on the heath; the river Nile had over
flowed and receded, overfowed and re-
ceded again and again; the seed had
been sown aud the haryests reaped;
stars rose and set; years OF plenty and
years of famine had passed on, but the
love of Jacob for Joseph in my text is
overwhelmingly dramatic. Oh, that is
o cord that is not snapped, though pull
ed ON by many decadesl Though when
the little child expired the parents may
not have been more than 20 years OF
age, and now they are 75, yet the Vi
sion of the cradle, and the childish face,
and the first utterances Of the infantile
lips are fresh today, in spite Of the pas
sage of a half century. Joseph was as
fresh in Jacobs memory as ever, though
at II years of age the boy had disap-
peared from the old homestead / found
in our family record the story Of an in
fant that had died so years before, and
said to my parents, "What is this rec
ord and what does it mean?' Their
chief answer was long, deep sigh 1t
was vet to them a very tender sorrow
What does that all meanY Why, it
means our children departed are ours
vet, and that cord Of attachment reach.
ing across the years will hold us until
it brings us together in the palace, as
Jacob and Joseph were brought togeth-
er That is one thing that makes old
people die happy They realize 1t is re-
union with those from whom they have
long been separated
am often asked as pastor-and every
pastor is asked the question:" WIZ my
children be children in heaven and for
sver ohildrenY" Well. there was no