The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-01-07
HOUSEHOLD CARES.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE breaches ON THE
DUTIES OF HOME LIFE.

Them That They Are Deciding the
Eternal Resting of the Race.
copyright. 1885, by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.-Dr. Talmage's
sermon today goes through home life
with the tread of one who has seen all
its departments and sympathizes with
all he sees and has words of cheer for
all wives, mothers, daughters and sis
tiers; text, Luke X, 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 l 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 appearance
of anxiety Or care. Company has come.
Christ stands outside the door, and of
course there is a good deal of excite
ment inside the door The disarranged
furniture is hastily put aside, and the
hair is brushed back, and the dresses
are adjusted as we'll as in so short
time Mary and Martha can ATTEND to
these matters. They did not keep Christ
standing at the door until they were
newly appareled or until they had elab-
orately arranged their tresses, then COM
ing 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 wer9 always presentable, although
they may not have always 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
group of friends with him, and such an
influx of city visitors would throw any
country home into perturbation. l sup
pose also the walk from the city had
been good appetizer. The kitchen de-
partment that day was a very important
department, and l suppose that Martha
had no sooner greeted the guests than
she fled to that room. Mary had no wOr
riment about household affairs. She had
full confidence that Martha could get
up the best dinner in Bethany. She
seems to say: "Now let US have a div
sion of labor. Martha, you cook, and I'll
sit down and be good. " Soyou have Of
ten seen a great difference between two
sisters.
Everyday Perplexities.
There is Martha, hard working, pains
taking, good manager, ever inventive
of some new pastry or discovering some
thing in the art of cookery and house
keeping. There is Mary, also fond Of
conversation, literary, so engaged in
deep questions of ethics she has no time
to attend to the questions of household
welfare, 1t is noon. Mary is i'll the par
lor with Christ. Martha is in the kitch-
en-. 1t would have been better if they
had divided the work, and then they
could have divided the opportunity of |
listening to Jesus but Mary monopolizes
Christ while Martha swelters at the |
fire. 1t was very important thing that |
they should have good dinner that
often have a luxurious entertainment.
Alas me, if the duty had devolved upon
Mary, what a 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 only to
have been made brown, and Martha lost
her patience and forgetting the proprie-
ties 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 sister hath left me to serve
alone?" Christ scolded not word If
it were scolding, l should rather hav.
his scolding than anybody else's bless
ing. There was nothing acerb. He knew
Martha had almost worked herself to
death to get him something to eat, and
so he throws world of tenderness into
his intonation as be seems to say: my
dear woman, do not worry. Let the dim
ner go. Sit down on this ottoman beside
Mary, your younger sister Martha,
Martha, thou are careful and troubled
about many things, but one thing is
needful." As Martha throws open that
kitchen door, | look in and see a great
many household perplezities and ankle
ties.
Trials of NOnappreciation.
First there is the trial of nonappre-
citation. That is what made Martha so
mad with Mary. The younger sister
had no estimate of her older sister ia
tigues AS now, men bothered with the !
anxieties of the store and Office and !
shop or, coming from the Stock Ex- {
change, they say when they get home:
"Oh, you ought to be in our factory
little while. You ought to have to man I
age or 10 or 90 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 {
a university, a clothing establishment, l
a restaurant, a laundry, library, while
she is health officer, police and pres '
ident of her realm. She must do thou &
sand things and do them well in order {