Connecticut western news., 1898-01-06
HOUSEHOLD CARES.
REV, OR. TALMAos BREACHES ON TAs
 DUTIES OF HOME LIFE.


 Them That They Are Deciding the
 Eternal Resting of the Race.
 Copyright. lsss by American Press Asse-
 ciation.l
 WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.--Dr. Talmage's s sermon today goes through home life with the tread of one who has seen all its departments and sympathizes with all he sees and has words of cheer for all wives mothers. daughters and sis ters; text. Luke X, 10: Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left mo to serve alone? Bid her, therefore, that she help me."
 Wonder is beautiful village home stead. The man of the house is dead, and his widow is taking charge of the premises This is the widow Martha of Bethany. Yes, will show you also the pet of the household. This is Mary, the younger sister, with book under her arm and her face having no appearance of anxiety or care. Company has come. Christ stands outside the door, and of course there is good deal of excite ment inside the door. The disarranged furniture is hastily put aside, and the hair is brushed back, and the dresses are adjusted as we'll as in so short Q time Mary and Martha can attend to these matters. They did not keep Christ staoding at the door until they were newly appareled, or until they had elab- orately arranged their tresses, then com ing out with their affected surprise as though they had not heard the two or three previous knockings, saying, Why, is that you2'' No They were ladies and were always presentable, although they may not have always had on their best, for none of us always has on our best If we did, our best would not be worth having on. They throw open the door and greet Christ. They say: Good morning, Master. Come in and be seated"
 Christ did not come alone He had group of friends with him, and such an influx of city visitors would throw any country home into perturbation. 1 sup pose also the walk from the city had been a good appetizer. The kitchen de- partment that day was a very important department, and suppose that Martha had no sooner greeted the guests than che fled to that room. Mary had no wor- riment about household affairs She had full confidence that Martha could get ID the best dinner in Bethany. She seems to say: "Now let us have a divi- sion of labor. Martha, you cook, and I'll ait down and be good" Soyou have of ten seen great difference between two 6stera
 Everyday Perplsxities.
 There is Martha. hard working, pains taking. . good manager, ever inventive of some new pastry or discovering some- thing in the art of cookery and house. keeping. There is Mary. also fond of conversation, literary, so engaged in deep questions of ethics she has no time to attend to the questions of household welfare It is noon. Mary is in the par Tor with Christ Martha is in the kitch- en. It would have been better if they had divided the work, and then they could have divided the opportunity of listening to Jesus, but Mary monopolizes Christ while Martha Hwelters at the fire. It was a very important thing that they should have a good dinner that day. Christ was hungry, and he did not often have a luxurious entertainment Alas me, if the duty had devolved upon Mary, what Q repast that would have beeni But something went wrong in the kitchen. Perhaps the fire would not burn, or the bread would not bake, or Martha scalded her hand, or something was burned black that ought only to have been made brown, and Martha lost her patience and forgetting the proprie- ties of the occasion, with besweated brow. and. perhaps, with pitcher in one hand and tongs in the other, she rushes out of the kitchen into the presence of . Christ, saying. Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve aloner' Christ scolded not 6 word. If 1t were scolding, should rather have his scolding than any body else's bless ing. There was nothing acerb. He knew Martha had almost worked herself to death to get him something to eat. and 90 he throws a world of tenderness into his intonation as he seems to say: My dear woman, do not worry. Let the din- ner go. Sit down on this ottoman beside Mary, your younger sister. Martha, Martha. thou are careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful-" As Martha throws open that kitchen door. I look in and see great many household perple1ities and anxie- ties
 Trials of Nonappreciation.
 First there is the trial of nonappre- citation. That is what made Martha so mad with Mary. The younger sister had no estimate of her older sisters fla tigues- As now, men bothered with the Anxieties of the store and office and shop, or, coming from the Stock Ex- change, they say when they get home: "Oh, you ought to be in our factory little while You ought to have to man sge or 10 or 20 subordinates, and then you would know what trouble and anxiety are" Oh, gir, the wife and the mother has to conduct at the same time a university. a clothing establishment, restaurant, laundry, a library, while she Is health officer, police and pres ident of her. realm. She must do thou sand things and do them we'll in order to keep things going smoothly, and so her brain and her nerves are taxed to the utmost Ikncw there are housekeep- CTS who are so fortunate that they can sit <: sn arp1chair in the library or lie on the beiated pillow and throw of all the care upon subordinates who, hay ing large wages and great experience, can attend to all of the affairs of the household. Those are the exceptions. I am speaking now of the great mass of housekeepers-the women to whom life is struggle, and who at 30 years of Age look as though they were 40. and at % look aa though they were 50, and at 90 look as though they were 60. The fallen at Chalons and Austerlitz and Gettysburg and Waterloo are 8 small number compared with the slain in the great Armageddon of the kitchen. You go out to the cemetery, and you will see that the tombstones all read beautifully poetic, but If those tombstones would speak ths truth thousands of them