The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-03-23

tn" marriage altar Whl!H III" ring WAS
being set AMI the vows given and III"
bcrc!ictinn pronounced hav" ri tadcG
with the grunge blossoms, ;:Md there she
is totlav. broken hearted, thinking Of
past inys and present deS4latl"n and =
coming anguish. ]ia-ar ii the wilder
Mc>s!
Here is a hPautiful homc. I"n cannot
think Of anclhing that can tc aided t"
it. Fer Years there has not been the
SUGGESTION Uf single trouble. Bright
and !:apry children FIJI the house with
laughter and song. EookS to read Pie
tures f. look ut. Lounges t" rest ON.
Cup of domestic joy full and running
ever. Dark night drops. Pillow hot.
Pulses lu1t"r Eyes clcsr. And the 1H"t
whus. we'll known steps on the Goorsiil
brought the whole hou>"hold out at
evcnri,lc crying, "Fat(lsr'S coming
vii! never sound on th" dcGrSl!l again
\ lour. deem gyiof plGWcd through AL
that frri.htur>s Of domestic life. Para
disc lost. Widowbocd. llagar in tho
Wilderness
How often is it we sec tho weak arm
Of woman cupscripted for this battle
with the rough world. Who Is she, 60
ing down the street in the early light
of the morning. pale with "xhaTstlng
work not half slept uut with the S!un-
bers Of last night. tragedies OF suffering
written all over her f,cc, her Iu>ter!cSS
eyes looking far ahead, aS though for
the coming Of some other trouble: Her
narcnts called hsr Mary. or Bertha. or
A:ncs on the day when they hrld Ecr
up to the tent and the Christian minis
ter srriuAled on the infants face the
washirgs Of u holy baptism. Her name
is changed II; n. | hear it in the shut!o
Of the wcrn0ut shoes. sec IL il the
figure Of the faded calico. | find 1t III
the linpamentS of the woe hegonc coun
tenance. Not Mary, nor Bertha, ror
Agnes, but IIagar III the wilderness.
May God have mercy upon woman III
her tolls, her struggles, her har':ships.
her desolation, and may the great heart
of divine sympathy inclnSe her forever!
Responsibility OF Motherhood.
Again. | find in this oriental scene
the fact that every mother leads forth
tremendous dnStinieS.
Ynu SAY. "That isn't an unusual
scene-a mother leading her child by
the hand" Who is it that she j. lead
ing: Jshmael, you say. Who is 1Sh-
mael: \ great nation Is to be founded
"a nation so strong that 1t is to stand
for thousands of years against all tho
armies of the world. Egypt and Assyria
thunder against it, but iu vain. Gauus
brings up bis army, and his army Is
smittcn. Alexander decides upon d CAM
paign. brings up his hosts and dies.
For a long while that nation monopo-
Lies the learning Of the world. 1t is the
nation of the Arabs. Who founded 1t?
Ishmael, the lad that Hagar led into the
wilderness. She had no idea she was
leading forth such dcstinies. Neither
does any mother You pass along the
street and sec and pass bcys and girls
who Will vet make the earth quake
with their influence.
Who is that boy at Sutton pool, Plym-
outh, England, barefooted, wadins
down into tMc slush and slime until his
bare foot comes upon piece Of glass,
and he lifts it bleeding and pain struck:
That wound III the foot decides that lie
be sedentury in his life; decides that he
be student. That wound ty the glass
in the foot decides that he shall be John
Kitto, who shall provide the best reli-
| giCus encyclopedias the world has ever
had provided and, with his other writ
ings as we'll, throwing light upon the
word of God such as has come from no
other man in this century. Oh. mother
mother, that little hand that wanderS
over your face may yet te lifted TO hurl
thunderEolts of war or drop benedic-
| tiol,S! That little voice may blaspheme
| God in tho groSshop or cry "For-
| waidn; to the Lords hosts as they go
| ous for their last victory. My mind this
| morning leaps 80 years ahead, and l
see a merchant prince Of New York.
One stroke Of his pen brings ship out
| Of Canton. Another stroke Of his pen
| brings ship into Madras. He is mighty
| in all the money markets Of the world.
! VINO is he: He sits on Sabbaths beside
you in church. My mind leaps 30 years
| forward from this time, and [ find my
| self IN a relief association. \ great muI-
| titude of Christian women have met to-
| gether for q generous purpose. There Is
| one woman in that crowd who seems to
| have the confidence of all the others,
and they all look up to her for her
| counsel and for her prayers. Who is
she: This afternoon you will find her III
| tho Sabbath school, while the teacher
tells her of that Christ who clothed the
naked and fed the hungry and healed
the sick. My mind leaps forward 80
| years from now and | find myself in
| an African jungle, and there is a mis-
sionary of the cross addressing the ma
tives, and their dusky countenances are
irradiatod with the glad tidings Of
| great JOY and salvation. Who is he:
| Did You not hear his voice today in the
opening song of your church service?
My mind leaps forward 80 years from
1
the wickets of prison. l see II face
SCARED with every crime. His chin Oh
| his open palm. his elbow on his knee, q
picture of despair. As open the wicket
he starts and l hear his chain clank.
The jailkeeper tells ne that ho has
| Ieen in there now three times-tirst for
theft, then for arson, now for murder.
He steps upon the trapdoor, the rope is
! fastened to his neck, the plank falls,
his body swings into the air, his soul
swings off into eternity. Who is ho and
where is he? This afternoon playing
kite on the city common. Mother, you
are now hosting n throne or forging
chain, you are kindling I; star Or dig
ging a dungeon!
\ Christian mother good many
years ago sat teaching lessons of religion
to her child, and he drank in those les
sons. She never knew that Lamphier