The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-11
MARTHAS and MARYS
REV. DIR. TALMACE'S SERMON ON
HOUSEHOLD CARES

Martha In the Kitchen: and Mary I'm the
Psrlor-The Trials of the. Good House
keeper-How They May be Overcome.
Home Influence
Copyright by American Press Associa-
ton.
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 sisters; text, Luke K. 40:
Lord, dost thou not are that my Sis
ter hath left me to serve alone? Bid her
therefore, that she help me-"
Yonder is a beautiful village ONE
stead. The man Of the house is dead,
n his widow is taking charge OF the
Of Bethany. Yes, I will show you also
the pet of the household. This is Mary,
the younger sister, with a 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 a good deal Of
excitement inside the door. The dissa-
ranged furniture is hastily put aside,
and the hair is brushed back, and the
dresses are adjusted as well as, in so
short a time, Mary n Martha a at
tend to these matters. They did not
keep Christ standing at the door until
they were newly apparled or until they
had e~laborately 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 your" No.
They were ladies and were always pre-
sentable, although they may not have
always had on their best, for non CT 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, Mas
ter! Come in ard he seated" Christ
did not come alone. He had a group
Of friends with him, and such an influx
of city visitors would throw
country home into perturbation.
I also the walk from the city
had been a good appetizer. The kitch-
en- department. that day was a very i'm
prtant. department, and I suppose that
Martha nae no sooner greeted the
guests than she fled TO that room.
Mary had no wOrriment about house
hold affairs. She had full confidence
that Martha could get UP the best dim
ner in Bethany. She seems to say,
Now let us have a division of labor.
Martha, you cook and I'll sit down and
be good" SO you have often seen a
great difference between two sisters.
MARY AND MARTHA.
There is Martha, hard working, pains
IA king q rood m9n9OaT over 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 c~lestions Of ethics she has no time
to ,lt--d to the questions of household
Welfare. It ) neon. MaIy is in the
pan. ~. i Christ. Martha is in the
Kitchen 1t would have been better if
they had divided the work, and then
they could have divided the ~opportun-
ity of listening to Jesus. But Mary mo-
nopolizes Christ while Martha swelters
at the fire. It was a very important
thing nat they should have a good
Inner tat day. Christ was hungry,
s, 81 he did not often have a luxurious
ulertainment. Alas, me, if the duty
mad devolved upon Mary, what a repaSt
that would have BEEN! But something
went wrong in the kitchen. Perhaps
the fire would not burn, or h bread
would not bake, or Martha scalded her
hand, or something was burned black
that ought only to nave been made
brown, and Martha lost her patience,
and forgetting the proprieties of the oc-
casion, with ~beSWeated brow, and, per-
haps, with pitcher in one hand and
tongs in the other, she rushes out Of the
kitchen into the presence Of Christ, say
i,no~ 81 aorI 1ocf fhnv1 not n q rQ fh q + m u
lister hath left me to serve alone?"
r-ist scolded not "a word. If it were
.-.a ne, [ should rather have his scOld-
Ing than anybody else's blessing. There
was nothing acerb. He knew Martha
- almost worked herself to death to
- him something to eat, and so he
throws a word of tenderness into his
i~ntonation as he seems to say: NJ
lea woman, do not worry. Let the
dinner go. Sit down / this ottoman
beside 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 I look in and
see a great many households perplexi-
ties and anxieties.
First there is the trial Of nonappre-
citation. That is what made Martha 50
/ with Mary. The ounge sister
" no estimate of her old sisters ia
llgues. AS now, men bothered with the
anxieties of the store and office and
shop, of coming from the stock ex-
change, they say when they get home:
"Oh, you ought to be in our factory a
little while! You ought to have to
M !age 8 or 10 or 20 subordinates, and
then you would know what trouble and
anxiety are!" Oh, sir, the wife and the
mother mas to conduct at the same time
q university, a clothing establishment,
a restur7nr q laundry, a library, while
h is he IN officer, police and presi-
dent c. her realm! She must do a thou
sand things, and do them well, in order
to keep things going smoothly, and 50
her brain and her nerve are taxed tc
the uttermost. I know there are house
keepers who are so fortunate that they
can sit in an armchair in the library
or lie on the belated pillow n throw
off all the care upon subordinates who
having large wages and great exper-
fence, car attend to all Of the affairs o1