Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1897-11-18
REY. TALMAG['S Sermon.
NOTED WASHINGTON DIVINE,S
SUNDAY DISCOURSE.
The Christian Home and h It Should
Be-A Powerful Test of Character
Various Meanings of Horne-Can BE
Made the Brightest Place on Earth.

them now great Things the Lor0 Ialn Gone
for thee Mark v, u. :
There are a great many people longing
for some grand sphere IN which to serve
God. They admir- Luther az the Diet Of
Worms. and only wish that they had some
such great opportunity in Hnr.l TO display
their Christian . They adntre
Paul making Felix trembie, and they only
wish that they had some such grand oc-
casion in which to rreacn righteousness.
Temperance ana judgment 10 come: all
they want Is only az opportunity TO exhibit
their Christian heroi-m. Now the eyange-
list comes To Us, and he practically SAYS:
n will show You a place where you can
exhibit all thar is grand. and beautiful, and
glorious. III Christian character, and that
is the domestic circle"
II one is not faithful in an Insignificant
sphere he will not be faithful in a resound-
ing sphere. II Peter will not help the
cripple at the gate OF the temple, he will
never be able to preach three thousand
souls into the kingdom at the Pentecost.
If Paul will not take pains to instruct in
the way OF salvation the jailer OF the Phil
ippian dungeon, he will never make Felix
tremble He who * not faithful in a Skin
nish would not be faithful in an Arranged
don. The fact is, We are all placed in 1est
the position in which we can most grandly
serve God; and We ought not to be chiefly
thoughtful about some sphere Of useful
mes which we may after a while gain, but
the all-absOrbiny question with you ana
with me- ought to be: Lord, what wilt
Thou have me now and here to do:''
There is one word in my text around
which the most Of our thoughts will this
morning reyolye. That word is Home"
Ask ten different men the meaning of that
word, and they will give you ten different
definitions. To one it means love at the
hearth, it means plenty at the table. in
dustry at the workstand, intelligence at
the books, devotion at the altar. To aim
it means a g~reetin. at the door and a smile
at the chair. Peace lowering like wings.
JOY %cIapping its hands with laughter. Life
a tranquil lake. PilloWed on the rippies
sleep the shadows.
ASK another man what home is, and he
will tell YOU it Is want, looking out Of Il
cherries tirh-grate, kneadinc hunger in an
empty bread tray, The damp air shiyerinc
with curses. No Bible on the shelf. Chill
. dren robbers and mur1rrers i'll embryo.
/ Every face a picture Of ruin. Want in the
background and sin staring from the front.
! No Sabbath wave rolling over that door
+ sill. EeStibule Of the pit. Shadow Of III
fernal walls. Furnace for forging everlast-
ing chains. Awful word. 1t is spelled with
I curses, it Weeps with ruin, it chokes with
woe, it sweats with the death agony Of de-
! spair.
The word Home" in the one case means
everything bright. The word Home in
AIi7 Cliif tf0N III ihJ y Iit j
shall speak to you this morning o. home
as a test Of character, home as q refuge,
home as a political safeguard, home as a
school, and home as atype Of heaven.
And in the first place | remark, tffat
home is Il powerful test OF character. The
disposition in public may be in gay eos
tune, while in private it is in dishabi!le
As play actors may appear in one way on
the stage, and may appear in another way
behind the scenes, SO private character may
be very different from public character.
Private character is often public character
turned wrong side out. A man may re-
ceive YOU into his parlor as though he were
a dlstillation Of smiles, and yet his heart
may be a swamp of nettlcS. There are
business men who all day long are mild,
and courteous, and genial, and ~good-na-
tured Fin commercial lie, damming back
their irritah:lity, and their petulanee, AID
their discomfort; but at night-faii the dam
breaks, and scolding pours forth in floods
and freshets.
The reason men do not display their bad
temper in public is because they dc not
want to be knocked down. There are mn
who hide their petulance and their irrita-
hility Just for the same reason that they do
not let their notes 50 to protest. 1t does
not pay. Or for the same reason that they
do not want a man in their stock company
to sell his stock at less than the right pri e.
lest it depreciate the value. AS at some.
times the wind rises, SO after q sunshiny
day there may % a tempestu0us night
There are people who in public act the
philanthrOli@t. who at home act the Nero
with respect to their slippers and thei,
GOWN.
Now, that man who is alrable in public
aiid who IS irritable III private is making ;
fraudulent overiSsae Of stock. and he is "a
bad a. Il bank that might have four or five
hundred thousand dollars Of bills ia circu
lation with no specie IN the vault. Let Il,
learn t. show piety ut home. ii we have il
not There, we have it not anywhere. II We
have not hnnine grace iii the family circle
all our outward and public plausibiiit
merely springs from a fear Of the world 81
from tho Shiny. putrid pool of our own sci
tlshne@s. tell you the home is a mighty
test Of character. What you are at home
YOU are everywhere. whether you demon
Str.te it or not.
Again. l remark that home is a refuge
Life is til" Cnit"i States army on the ma
tional r7it 70 N"yieo. a long march witt
eVeranIi anon 4 sSirmiSh and Il battle. \
evtntiie We pitch our tent an1 stack tn
arms, Ne hang up the war cap ana lay gu
head on the knapsaek, We sleep until the
morning huge calls uSto marching an,
action. How pleasant it Is TO rehearse thl
Victories. and tAa surf rises, and the at
tacks q the lay, seated by the still cam
fire OF tho home circle,
There i the place whore we NAV talk 0
what v" have done without being charge
with self-adaiation. There Is the pIac,
where wc may lounge without beincthough
unSracefuI. There is the place where W,
may express ELECTION without bein.
Thought silly. There is the place where "
may forget our annoyances. and exaspera
tions, and troubles. Foriorn earth pil
grim. 10 honez Iaen. die. That il hotfa-
tn" grave i brighter. and cranaer. an
more glorious than this world with II
| tent far mareAin-s. with 10 harb1r fr9r