St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-03-19
FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE.
Nords OF encouragement for Un.
heralded Heroes.
Rev. DIR. Talmage Talks OF the Religion Of
the Ordinary People-Thc Advan-
tages of InconspIcuousnes
In Christian Work.

AASss DAs AoAhAASC AAAAS oh NuO ANNAEAUn "
the Ordinary People-Thc Advan-
taEes OF Inconspicuousness
In Christian Work.
Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage gives in tn
following discourse. words of encour
agement to the ordinary men and WON
en- of the world whose good deeds g,
unheralded. The text is:
Salute Asyncritus, Phleyon. Hermas. Patro
bas Hermes. PhiIologus and Julia--Roman
xvi. lid.
Matthew Henry, Albert Barnes. Adam
Clark. Thomas Scott, and all the com
nontators pass by these verses withou
any especial remark. The other 2
people mentioned in the chapter wer
distinguished for something, and wer,
therefore discussed by the illustriou
expositors: but nothing is said abou
Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patro
bas, Hermes, Philologus and Julia
Where were they born? No on
knows. When did they die? There il
no record of their decease. For wha
were they distinguished? Absolutel,
nothing. or the trait of character
would have been brought out by tn,
apostle. II they had been very intrep
id. or opulent, or hirsute, or musica
of cadence, or Grass of style, or in any
wise anomalouss that feature wouli
have been caught by the apostolic
camera. But they were good people
because Paul sends to them his high
Christian regards. They were ordi
nary people moving in ordinary sphere
attending to ordinary duty and meet
ing ordinary responsibilities.
What the world wants is religion
for ordinary people. If there be in
the United States 7O.0O0,O00 people,
there are certainly not more than
1.oo0.00O extraordinary; and there are
50. 100000 ordinary, and we do well to
turn our backs for little while upon
the distinguished and conspicuous peo-
pie of the Bible and consider in our
text the seven ordinary. We spcnd too
much of our time twisting garlands
for remarkables. and building thrones
for magnates. and sculpturing warriors
and apotheosizing philanthropists.
The rank and file of the Lords sol
diery need especial help.
The vast majority of fpeople will never
lead an army. will never write a state
will never electrify SEN
ate. will never make an important in
will never introduce new
will never decide the fate
Of q nation. You do not expect to; you
do not want to. You will not be a
Moses to lead a nation out of bondage.
You will not be a Joshua 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 Paul to preside over an
apostolic college. You will not be a
Mary to mother Christ. You will
more probably be Asyncritus. or Phle=
gon. or Hermas, or Patrobas. or Her
mes. or Philologus. or Julia.
Many of you are women at the head
Of households. Every morning You
plan for the day. The culinary depart
ment of the household is your domin-
ion. You decide all questions of diet.
All the sanitary regulations of your
house are under your supervision. To
regulate the food. and the apparel
md the habits, and decide the thous-
md questions of home life is tax upon
brain and nerve and general health alb
appalling, If there be no Di-
7ine alienation.
It does not help You much to be told
hat Elizabeth Fry did wonderful
hings amid the criminals at Newgate.
Il does not help you much to be told
he Bornesian cannibals. 1t does not
lelp you very much to be told that
florence Nightingale was very kind to
he wounded in the Crimea. 1t would
,e better for me to tell you that the
divine friend of Mary and Martha is
our friend. and that He sees all the
and disappointments and
brasions and exasperations of an or
inary housekeeper from morn till
light. and from the first day of the
ear until the last day of the year, and
t your call He is ready with help and
They who provide the food of the
rorld decide the health of the world.
'ou have only to GO on some errand
mid the taverns and the hotels of the
Tnitcd States and Great Britain to ap-
reciatc the fact that vast multitude
I the human race are slaughtered by
cookery. Though a young
roman may have taken lessons in
lnsic and may have taken lessons in |
ainting, and lessons in astronomy,
ne is not well educated unless she has |
al1en lessons in dough. They who de-
de the apparel of the world and the |
nod of the world decide the endurance
T the worl1.
An unthinking man may consider it
matter of little importance-the cares /
the household and the economics of /
life-but tell you the earth
strewn with the martyrs of kitchen
nd nursery. The health-shattercd
of America cries out for
od who can help ordinary women in
le ordinary duties of housekeeping.
he wearing. grinding. unappreciated
ori1 goes on, but the same Christ who
God on the bank of Galilee in the
lrly morning and kindled the fire and
Id the fish already cleaned and broil-
g when the sportsmen stepped ashore,
lilled and hungry, will help every
her woman to prepare breakfast,
neither by her own hand or the hand
her hired help. The God who
ade indestructible eulogy of Ham
III. who made coat for Sam
/. her son, and carried it to
e temple every year. will help every
oman in preparing the family ward
be. The God who opens the Bible
it'll the story of Abraham's entertain
ent by the three angels on the plains
Mamre will help every woman to
,spitality. however rare and embar-
ssing. 1t is high time that some of
c attention we have been giving to
e remarkable women of the Bible
markablc for their virtue, or their
ant of it, or remarkable for their
Deborah and Jezebel, and Hero
as and Athalis, and Dorcas and the I;
arys. excellent and abandoned-it is