Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-10-12


terry. Would God all children were as
kind to their parents.
If the father have large property, and
he be wise enough to keep 1t in bis
own name, he will be respected by the
heirs; but how often it is when the
son finds his father in famine, as JOS
eph found Jacob in famine, the young
people make it very hard for the old
man. They are so surprised he eats
with knife instead of a fork. They
are chagrined at his antediluvian ha-
bits. They are provoked because he
cannot hear as we'll as he used to, and
when he asks it over again, and the
son has to repeat it. he bawls in the
old mans ear, 81 hope you hear that
How long he must wear the old coat or
the old hat before they get him a new
one! How chagrined they are at his
independence of the English grammar!
How long he hangs on. Seventy years
and not gone yet! Seventy-five years
and not gone yet! Eighty years and
not gone yet! Will he ever go? They
think it of no use to have doctor in
his last sickness, and go up to the drug
store and get something that makes
him worse. and economiZe on a coffin,
and beat the undertaken down to ths
last point, giving note for the re-
duced amount which they never pay!
| have OBLIGATED at obsequies Of aged
people where the family have been so
Unfortunately resigned to Providence
that | felt like taking my text from
Proverbs, The eye that mocketh at his
father, and refuseth to obey its moth
er, the ravens of the valley shall pick
1t out. and the young eagles shall eat
1t. In other words, such an migrate
ought to have flock of crows for pail
bearers. | congratulate you IL you
have the honor of providing for aged
parents. The blessing of the Lord
God OF Joseph and Jacob will be on
you.
| rejoice to remember that though
my father lived in a plain house the
most of his days, he died in a man
sion provided by the filial piety OF a
son who had achieved fortune. There
the octogenarian sat- and the servants
waited on him, and there were plenty
OF horses and plenty Of carriages to
convey him. and a bower in which to
sit on long summer afternoons, dream
ing over the past; and there was not
room in the house where he was not
welcome, and there were musical in
struments of all sorts to regale him;
and when life had passed. the neigh
bors came out and expressed all honor
possible, and carried him to the vii
lage Machpelah. and put him down be-
side the Rachel with whom he had
lived more than half century. Share
your successes with the old people.
The probability is, that the principles
they inculcated achieved your fortune.
| Give them Christian percentage OF
kindly consideration. Let Joseph di-
vide with Jacob the pasture fields of
Goshen and the glories of the Egyp-
| tian court.
And here | would like to sing the
praises of the sisterhood who remained
! unmarried that they might administer
| to aged parents. The brutal world
calls these seif-sacrificing ones pecu-
liar or angular; but if you have had as
many annoyances as they have had,
| Xantippe would have been an angel
compared with you. It is easier to
| take care of five rollieking, romping
children than 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 car
| ing for their parents. While other
maidens were asleep, they were soak
| ing the old mans feet, or tucking up
the covers around the invalid mother.
While other maidens were in the cotil-
Ion. they were dancing attendance up
on rheumatism and spreading plasters
for the lame back of the septenarian,
and heating catnip tea for insomnia.
In almost every circle of our kindred
there has been some queen of self-sac-
rifce to whom jeweled hand after jew
eled hand was offered in marriage, but
who stayed on the old place because of
the sense of filial obligation, until the
health was gone and the attractiveness
of personal presence had vanished.
| brutal SOCltty indy call SUCH one Dy
nickname. God calls her daughter,
and heaven calls her saint. and | call
her domestic martyr. A half-dozen
ordinary women have not as much no
bilty as could be found in the small
est joint OF the little finger of her left
hand Although the world has stood
six thousand years, this is the first
apotheosis OF maidenhood, although in
the long line of those who have de-
cined marriage that they might be
qualified for some especial mission are
the names of Anna Ross, and Mar
garet Breckenridge, and Mary Shelton,
and Anna Etheridge, and Georgiana
Wiilets, the angels of the battiefields
of Fair Oaks and Lookout Mountain
and Charlottesville, and Cooper Shop
Hospital; and though single life has
been honored by the fact that the three
grandest men OF the Bibie-John and
Paul and Christ-were celibates.
Let the ungrateful world sneer at the
maiden aunt. but God has a throne
FURNISHED for her arrival, and on one
| side of that throne in heaven there is a