The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-01-05
TRIALS OF THE HOME.
They are Discussed by the Rev.
DR.. Talmage.
Words of Cheer for the 1oiler-- Christ APP
preCiates the Efforts of Those
Who are Trying to Do
Their Duty.

In the following sermon the popular
Washington divine addresses many
words of comfort and encouragement
to the tired wives and mothers of the
household. His text was Luke 10: 40:
"Lord, dost thou not care that my
sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid
her, therefore, that she help me-"
Yonder 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 appear
ance of anxiety or care. Company has
come. Christ stands outside the door,
and, of course, there is good deal of
excitement inside the door. The disar-
ranged furniture is hastily put aside,
and the hair is brushed back, and the
dresses adjusted as well as, in SO short
n time, Mary and Martha can attend
70 these matters. They did not keep
Christ standing at the door until they
were newly apparelled, or until they
had elaborately arranged their tresses,
then coming out with their affected
surprise as though they had not heard
the two or three previous knockings,
saying: "Why is that you?" No. They
were ladies, and were always presenta-
BILE, although they may not have al
ways 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 a group of
friends with him, and such an influx
of city visitors would throw any coun-
try home into perturbation. / suppose
also the walk from the city had been a
good appetizer. The kitchen depart
ment that day was very important
department, and suppose that Martha
had no sooner greeted the guests than
she fled to that room. Mary had no
worriment about household affairs.
She had full confidence that Martha
could get up the best dinner in Beth
any. She seems to say: "Now let us
have division of labor. Martha, you
cook, and I'll sit down and be good. -
So you have often seen great differ
ence between two sisters.
There is Martha, Woodworking,
painstaking, good manager, ever in
ventive of some new pastry, or discov-
ering something in the art of cookery
and housekeeping. There is Mary, also,
fond of conversation, literary, so en-
gagged in deep questions of ethics she
has no time to attend to the questions
of household welfare. 1t is noon.
Mary is in the parlor with Christ.
Martha is in the kitchen. 1t would
have been better if they had di'
vided the work, and then they could
have divided the opportunity of lis
tening to Jesus; but Mary monopolizes
Christ while Martha swelters at the
fire. 1t was very important thing
that they should have good dinner
that day. Christ was hungry and He
did not often have luxurious enter
tainment. Alas me! if the duty had
developed upon Mary, what repast
that would have been! 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 to have been made brown;
and Martha lost her patience, and for
getting the proprieties 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 sis
ter hath left me to serve alone?" Christ
scolded not word. If it were scolding,
i should rather have His scolding than
anybody elses blessing. There was
nothing acerb. He knew Martha had
almost worked herself to death to get
Him something to eat, and so 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 be-
side Mary, your younger sister. Mar
tina, 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 perplexi-
ties and anxieties.
First, there is the trial of non-ap-
preciation. That is what made Martha
SO mad with Mary. The younger sister
had no estimate of her older sisters
fatigues. AS now, men bothered with
the anxieties of the store, and office,
and shop, or coming from the stock eX-
change, and say when they get home;
''Oh, you ought to be in our factory a
little while; you ought to have to man
age eight, or ten, or twenty subordi.
mates, and then you would know what
trouble and anxiety arew Oh, sir, the
wife and the mother has to conduct at
the same time university, a clothing
establishment, restaurant, laundry,
library, while she is health officer,
police, and president of her realm! She
must do thousand things, and dc
them well, in order to keep things go
ing smoothly; and so her brain and hel
nerves are taxed to the utmost.
/ know there are housekeepers who
are so fortunate that they can sit in
N armchair in the library, or lie or
the belated pillow, and throw off all
the care upon subordinates who, having
large wages and great experience, car
4 attend to all of the affairs of the house