Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-02-10

ethics she has no time to attend to the
of household welfare. 1t Is noon.
Mary is in the parlor with Christ: Martha
IN the divided Il tSs wort nss and then
thew could have divided the opportunity OF
listeninp to Jesus; but Mary monopoltxes
Christ while Martha swelters at the fire
It was a very important thing tnas tney
should have good dinner that day. Christ
was hungry, and He did not often have
iuxurious entertainment. Alas, me! II the
duty had devolved upon Mary, what re-
mast that would have beenl But something
went wrong in the kitchen. Perhaps the
Are would not burn, or the bread woulo
not bake, or Martha sca!ded ner nano, OF
something was burned black that ought
only to have been made brown; and Martha
lost her patience, and forgetting the pro.
prieties OF the occasion, with besweated
brow, and. perhaps, with pitcher IN one
hand and tongs in the othor, she rushes
out OF the Kitchen into the presence OF
that my sister hath left me to serve alonef"
Christ scolded not word. II 1t were scold-
ing, would rather have His scolding than
anybody else's blessing. There was moth
ing acerb. He knew that Martha had al
most worked herself to death to get Him
something to eat, and SO He throws world
of tenderness into His intonation as He
seems to say, "My dear woman, 90 not
worry let the dinner go; sit down on this
ottoman beside Mary, your younger sister;
Martha, Martha, thou art careful and
troubled about many things, but one thing
is needful." As Martha throws open that
kitchen door look in and see great many
household perplexities and anxieties
First, there is the trial Of non-apprecia-
tion. This is what made Martha so mad
with Mary. The younger sister had no esti-
mate of her older sisters fatigues. AS
now, men bothered with the anxieties OF
the store, the Office and shop, or coming
from the Stock Exchange, they say when
they get home: "Oh, you ought to be In
our factory a little while; you ought to
have to manage eight, or ten, or twenty
subordinates, and then you would know
what trouble and anxiety are!" Oh, sir,
the wife and the mother has to conduct at
| the same time university, clothing es-
tablishment, a restaurant, laundry, IL
| brary, while she Is health officer, police
| and president Of her realml She must 40
| O thousand things, and do them well, IN
| order to keep things going smoothly; and
so her brain and her nerves are taxed to
the utmost. I know there are housekeep-
ers who are so fortunate that they can SIT
| in an arm chair in the library, or lie on the
belated pillow and throw off all the care
upon suoordinates who, having large
| wages and great experience, can attend to
| u
are the exceptions. am speaking now OF
the great mass of housekeepers-the wo-
men to whom life is struggle, and who,
at thirty years OF age, look as though they
were forty. and at forty look as though
they were fifty, and at fifty look as though
they were sixty.
| You think o, man of the world! that you
have all the cares and anxieties. II the
cares and anxeties of the household
should come upon yon for one week, you
| would be fit for the Insane Asylum. The
| half-rested housekeeper arises in the
morning. She must have the morning re-
past prepared at an irrevocable hour.
What if the fire will not light; what If the
| marketing did not come; what IL the clock
| has stopped-no matter, she must have the
| morning repast Mt an irrevocable hour.
| Then the children must be got off to school
| What if their garments are torn; what II
| they do not know their lessons; what II
they have lost hat or sash-they must be
| ready. Then you have all the diet OF the
day and perhaps OF several days. to plan
but what If the butcher has sent meat un-
| masticaIls, or the grocer has sent articles
| of food adulterated, and what IL some piece
of silver be gone, or some fayorite chalice
| be cracked, or the roof leak, or the plumb
| ing fall, or any one of a thousand things
occur--you must be ready. Spring weather
| comes, and there must be a revolution In
the family wardrobe; or autumn comes
1
but what If the moth has preceded you to
the chest; what If, during the year. the
children have outgrown the apparel OF last
year; what If the fashions have changed
Your house must be an apothecary's shop
it must be dspensary; there must bs
medicines for all sorts Of ailments. You
| must be in half a dozen places at the sami
time, or you must attempt to be. Ii
under all this wear and tear OF life, Martha
makes an impatient rush upon the librar,
or drawing room, be patient, be lenientl
Oh, woman, though l may fail to stir uE
an appreciation in the souls OF others II
regard to your household tolls, let me as
sure you, from the kindness with which
Jesus Christ met Martha, that he appre
ciates all your work from garret to cellar
and that the God OF Deborah, and Hannah
and Abigail. and Grandmother Lois, ant
Elizabeth Fry, and Hannah More is th'
God of the housekeeper! Jesus was neYe
married, that he might be the especia
friend and confident Of whole world o
troubled womanhood. I blunder; Chris
was married. The Bible says that tn
Church is the Lambs wife, and that make
me know that all Christian women have
right to go to Christ and tell Him of thei
annoyance and troubles, since by His oatl
of conjugal fidelity He Is sworn to sym
pathize.
Again there is the trial Of severe econ
omy. Nine hundred and ninety-n min
households out of thousand are subjected
to it-some under more and some unde
less stress Of circumstances. Especially
n man smoke very expensive cigars, an
take very costly dinners at the restaurants