The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-14
COMMON PEOPLE AND CHRIST.
TOO MUCH TIME SPENT IN TWIST
ING GARLANDS FOR LEADERS.

Heroic in Her sphere Among the
Cares of the HOusehOId-The DIFF
ferent Degrees of Grace Needed by
Men of Large and Small business
Affairs.
washington. Feb. l3.-Dr. Talmage, in
this discourse calls the roll OF faithful
men and noble women in all departments
who are unreeognized and unrewarded'
and sounds encouragement for those WHO
do work in spheres inconspicuous. Text
Romans 10: l4-l5: salute Asyncrltus
Phlegon, Hermas. Patrobas. Hermes
PhLologus and Julia"
Matthew Henry. Albert Barnes, Adam
Clark, Thomas Scott, and all the COM
mentators pass by these verses without
any especial remark. The other twenty
people mentioned in the chapter were dis
tinguished for something and we're there
fore discussed by the illustrious exposi-
tors; but nothing is said about Asyncri-
aus, PhIegon. Hermas Patrobas Hermes,
Philologus. asd Julia. Where were they
born? No one knows. When did they die?
There is no record of their decease. For
what were they distinguished? Absolute
" nothing or the trait of character would
have been brought out by the Apostle. II
they had been very intrepid: or opulent,
or hirsufe or musical of cadence, or Grass
of style. or in any wise anomalous, that
feature would have been caught by the
apostolic camera But they were cool
people. because Paul sends to them his
high Christian regards. They were ordi-
nary people moving in ordinary sphere,
attending 10 ordinary duty, and meeting
ordinary responsibilities
sF-. T7rs lie n religion
ordinary people. II there be in the Uni
ted States 70.p0301o people. there are GER
tainly moi more than 100000 eNtraordi-
nary; and then there are 6s,0O0O0 ,ordi-
nary and We do wei 10 turn our backs
for a little while upon the distinguished
and conspicuous people of the Bible and
consider in our text the seven ordinary.
We spend too much of our time in twist
ing garlands for remarkables and build
ing thrones for magnates, and sculpturing
warriors, and apotheosizing philanthro-
pists The rank and file of the Lords SOL
diery need especial help.
The vast majority of people will never
lead an army. will never write a state
constitution, will never electrify a senate,
viii never make an important invention,
will never introduce a new philosophy,
will never decide the fate of a nation.
You do not expect to; you do not want to.
You will not be a Moses to lead a nation
q
TO prolong the daylight until you can shut
five kings in a cavern. You will not be a
st. John TO unroll an Apocalypse You
will not be a Paul to preside over an apos-
tolic college. You will not be a Mary to
mother a Christ. You win more probably
be Asyncritus, or Phlegon, or Hermas, or
Patrobas, or Hermes, or Philologus, or
Julia.
Many of you are women at the head of
households. Every morning you plan for
the day. The culinary department of
the household is in your dominion. You
decide all questions of diet. All the sani-
tary regulations of. your house are under
your supervision. To regulate the food,
and the apparel and the habits, and de-
eide the thousand questions of home life
is tax upon brain and nerve and general
health absolutely appalling, if there be
no divine alienation.
II does not help you much to be told
that Elizabeth Fry did wonderful things
amid the criminals at Newgate II does
not help you much to be told that Mrs
Judson was very brave among the Borne
sian cannibals. 1t does not help you very
much to be told that Florence Nightin-
gale was very kind to the wounded in the
Grimea. 1t would be better for me to tell
you that the divine friend of Mary and
Martha is your friend. and that he sees
all the annoyances and disappointments
and abrasions, and exasperations of an
ordinary housekeeper from morn till night
and from the first day of the year untn
the last day of the year, and al your call
he is ready with help and reinforcement
They who provide the food of the world
decide the health of the world You have
only to go on some GRAND amid the tav-
ems and the hotels of the United States
and Great Britain to appreciate the fact
that a vast multitude of the human race
are slaughtered by incompetent cookery.
Though young woman may have taken
lessons In music, and may have taken les
sons In painting, and lessons in astron-
oIny, she is not well educated unless she
has taken lessons IN dough! They who
decide the apparel of the world. and the
food of the world, decide the endurance
of the world
An minimizing man may consider 1t a
matter of little importahce-the cares of
the household and the economies of do
mestic hfe-but l tell you the earth is
strewn with the martyrs of kitchen and
nursery. The health-shattered womanhood
or America cries out for a God who can
heip ordinary women in the ordinary du-
ties of housekeeping. The wearing
grinding. unappreciated work goes on, but
tne same Christ who stood on the bank
OF Galilee in the early morning and kim
died the fire and had the fish already
cleaned and broiling when the sportsmen
stepped~ ashore, chilled and hungry. win
helD every woman to prepare breakfast
whether by her own hand, or the hand of
her hired help. The God who made indie
structibie eulogy of Hannah, who made a
coat for Samuel, her son, and carried n
to the temple every year, will HELM every
woman IN preparing the family wardrobe
The God who opens the Bible with the
story of Abraham's entertainment nv The
three angels on the plains of Mamre. will
help every woman to provide hospitality
however rare and embarrassing. II is
high time that some of the attention we
have been giving to the remarkabl wo-
men OF the Understandable for their
virtue, or their want of II, or remarkable
for their deeds-Deborah and Jezebel and
Herodias and Alfalfa, and Dorcas and the
Marys, excellent and abandoned-it is high
time some of the attention we have been
giving to these conspicuous women of The
Bible be given to Julia, an ordinary wo-
man. amid ordinary circumstances. at
tending to ordinary duties, and meeting
ordinary responsibilities.
Then there are all the ordinary business
men. They need divine and Christian helm
When we begin 70 talk about business life
we shoot right Off and talk about men who
did business on a large scale and who
sold millions Of dollars of goods a wear,
and the vast majority of business men do
not sell million dollars OF goods, nor half