Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-04-29

ing or a Door woman rom Moan Co .Iudang
Can you imagine anything more trivial
than the fact that this Ruth Just happened
20 alight-as they say-just happened TO
aligbt on that field of Boaz? Yet all ages,
all generations, have an interest in the
t,ut that she was TO become an ancestress
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and all nations
and kingdoms must look at that one little
incident with thrill Of unspeakable and
eternal satisfaction. So it is in your his
tory and in mine, events that you thought
of no Importance at all have been of very
great moment. That casual conversation;
that accidental mceting-you did not think
of it again for long while. But how it
changed all the phases of your lifel
1t seemed to be of no Importance that
Jubal invented rude instruments of mu-
sic, calling them harp and organ, but they
were the introduction Of all the worlds
minstrelsy, and as you hear the vibration
of stringed instrument, even after the
fingers have been taken away from it, sc
all music now of lutte and drum and cor
net is only the long continued strains OF
Jubal' harp and Jubals organ. 1t seemed
to be matter of very little Importance
that Tubal Cain learned the uses of copper
and iron, but that rude foundry of ancient
days has its echo in the rattle of Birming-
ham machinery and the roar and bang of
factories on the Merrimac.
1t seemed to be matter of no impor
lance that Luther found Bible in mon
astery, but as he opened that Bible and the
brass bound lids fell back they Jared
+Iau of tha nd
leaves was the sound of the wings of the
angel of the reformation. 1t seemed to be
| o matter Of no Importance that woman
| whose name has been forgotten dropped
tract in the way of very bad man by the
name of Richard Baxter. He picked up
| the tract and read it, and it was the means
of his salvation. In after days that man
| wrote book called "The Call to the Un-
converted, that was the means of bringing
a multitude to God, among Others Philip
Doddridge. Philip Doddridge wrote book
called 1.-THE Rise and Progress of Reli-
| gion," which has brought thousands and
| tens Of thousands into the kingdom of
God, and among others the great Wilber-
force. Wilberforce wrote book called
GA Practical View of Christianity, which
was the means of bringing a great multi
tude TO Christ, among Others Leigh Rich
lnond. Leigh Richmond wrote tract
called "The Dairyman's Daughter, " which
has been the means of the salvation of un.
converted multitudes And that tide OF
influence started from the fact that one
Christian woman dropped a Christian
tract in the way of Richard Baxter, the
tide of influence rolling on through Rich
ard Baxter, through Philip Doddridge
through the great Wilberforce, through
Leigh Richmond, on, on, on, forever, for
ever. So the insignificant events of this
world seem, after all, to be most momen
tous.
Beauty of Female Industry.
Again, see in my subject an illustra
ton of the beauty of female industry.
Behold Ruth toiling in the harvest fell
under the hot sun, or at noon taking plail
bread with the reapers, or eating TIN
parched corn which Boaz handed to her
The customs of society, of course, hav
changed, and without the hardships ant
exposure to which Ruth was subjecte'
every intelligent woman will find some
thing to do.
I know there is sickly sentimentalit,
on this subject. In some families ther
are persons of no practical service to tn
household or community, and though ther
are SO many woes all around about then
.. in tho world, they spend their time Ian
gushing over new pattern, or burstin
into tears at midnight over the story o
some lover who shot himself. They woul
not deign to look at Ruth carrying bacl
; the barley on her way home to her mother
: | in-law, Naomi. All this fastidiousnes
may seem to do very we'll while they ar
: under the shelter of their fathers house
but when the sharp winter of misfortun
comes, what of these butterflies? Person
! under indulgent parentage may get upo
themselves habits of Incidence, but whe
they come out into practical life their sor
will recoil with disgust and chagrin. The
/. will feel in their hearts what the poet s
severely satirized when he said:
. Folks are so awkward, things so impoite,
They re elegantly pained from morning unit
night.
1 Through that gate Of Incidence bo'
q many men and women have marched, us
: less on earth, to q destroyed eternity. SpiI
ola said to Sir Horace We're, "Of what di
A your brother die?" "Of having nothin
to do" was the answer. "Ah!" said Spil
ola, 'thats enough to kill any general I
. u.s. Oh, can it be possible in this worlt
. where there is SO much suffering to be a
- leviated SO much darkness to be enligh
= ened and SO many burdens to be carries
: that there is any person who cannot TN
: anything to dor
u Mme de Stael did world of work
= her time, and one day, while she was sea
;, ed amid instruments of music, all of whit
10 she had mastered, and amid manuscril
y books which she had written, some OF
said to her, "How do you find time to a
. tend to all these things" "Oh," she
u piled, "these are not the things / am prot
. of. My chief boast is in the fact that
Il have II trades, by any one of which
.e could make livelihood if necessary
., And if in secular spheres there is SO nut
~ to be done, in spiritual work how vast 81
y field How many dying all around abo
IL us without one word of comfort! We wa
,, more Abigails, more Hannahs, more r
~ beccas, more Marys, more Deborahs cons
crated-body, mind, soul-to the Lord wi
bought them.
Value of Cleaning.
Once more learn from my subject t
value of cleaning.
Ruth going into that harvest field mig
10 have said: "There is q straw, and there
l6 straw, but what Is straw2 can't 9
'e any barley for myself or my mother in la
y. out of these separate straws." Not SO sa
beautiful Ruth. She gathered two straw
and she put them together, and me
straws, until she got enough to make
,hoof Drt+ipp hot down aha went n