St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-06-10
RECALLS THE PAST.
DR.. Talmage's Sermon Is Largely
Reminiscent.
Draws Helpful Lessons from the Ex-
perlcncca and SIciSsltuIcs of
Lifc-SEcmcrfca OF
Home.
Copyright. 1899. by Louis Klcpsch. Wash
/

roll CT many stirring memories and in
terprets the meaning of life's yicissi
tudcs. The text is Psalms XxxiN, B
"While l was musing the fire burned
Here is David, the psalmist. with tn,
forefinger of his right hand against hi:
temple and the door shut against thu
world, engaged in contemplation. And
it would be well 70. us to take the same
posture often while we sit down in
sweet solitude to contemplate.
| In a small island OFF the coast of Nova
Scotia / once passed a Sabbath in de-
lightful solitude, for had resolved that
would have one day of entire quiet be
fore / entered upon autumnal work.
thought to have spent the day in laying
| out plans for Christian work. but in
stead of that it became a day of tender
Renaissance. reviewed my pastorate:
/! I shook hands with an old departed
friend. whom shall greet again when
the curtains of life are lifted. The days
| of my boyhood came back, and / was
ten years of age. and / was eight. and
was five. There was but one house on
| the island and vet from Sabbath day
| break, when the bird chant woke me.
until the evening melted into the bay
of Fuudy. from shore to shore there
were ten thousand memories. and the
groves were album with voices that had
long ago ceased.
Youth is apt too much to spend all its
time in looking forward. Old age is apt
too much to spend all its time in lock-
ing backward. People in midiife and on
the apex look both ways. 1t would be
well for us, think. however. to spend
more time in "reminiscences. by the con-
stitution OF our nature we spend most
Of the time looking forward. And the
vast ma jority of people live not so much
in the present as in the future. / find
that you mean to make reputation.
you mean to establish yourself, and the
advantages that you expect to achieve
absorb great deal Of your time. But
see no harm in this. if it does not make
you discontinued with the present or
disGual;fy you for existing duties. 1t
is useful thing sometimes to look
back and TO see the dangers we have cs-
capped and to see the sorrows we have
suffered and the trials and wanderings
of our earthly pilgrimage and to sum
up our enjoyments. l mean. so far as
God may help me, 10 stir up your mem
CRY of the past. so that in the review you
may be encouraged and humbled and
urged to pray.
There is chapel in Florence with a
fresco by Guido. 1t was covered up with
two inches of stucco until our American
and European artists went there. ard
after long toll removed the covering and
retraccd the frcsco. And l am aware
that the memory of the past. with many
Of you, is all covered up with oblitera-
tions, and / now propose. so far as the
Lord may help me. to take away the
covering, that the old picture may shine
out again. l want to bind in one sheaf
all your past advantages. and 1 want to
bind in another sheaf all your past adj
versities. 1t is n precious harvest, and
l must be cautious how / swing the
scythe.
Among the greatest advantages of
your past life were an early home and
its surroundings. The bad men of the
day. for the most part, dip their heated
passions out of the boiling spring of
an unhappy home. We are not sur
prised to find that Eyron's heart was a
concentration of sin when we hear his
mother was abandoned and that she
made sport of his infirmity and often
called him ''the lame brat" He who
has vicious parents has TO fight every
inch of his way if he would maintain
his integrity and at last reach the home;
of the good in Heaven. Perhaps your
early home was in a city. 1t may have
been when Pennsylvania avenue. Wash
ington. was residential, as now it is
commercial. and Canal street, New
York, was far up town. That old house
in the city may have been demolished
or changed into stores, and it seemed
like sacrilege to you. for there was
more meaning in that small house than
there is in a granite mansion or a tur
reted cathedral. Looking back. you sec
II as though it were yesterday--the
sitting-room, where the loved one sat
by the plain lamp light. the mother
Mt the evening stand, the brothers and
sisters. perhaps long ago gathered into
the skies, then plotting mischief on
the floor or under the table. your IA
Their with firm voice commanding a
silence that lasted half minute.
Oh, those were good days! If you
had your foot hurt, your mother al
ways had soothing salve to heal il.
If you were wronged in the street, your |
father was always ready to protect |
you. The year was one round of frolic
and mirth. Your greatest trouble was
an April shower. more sunshine than
shower. The heart had not been ran
sacked by trouble. nor had sickness |
broken it. and no lamb had a warmer
sheepfold than the home in which your
childhood nestled.
Perhaps you were brought up in the
You stand now to-day in mem
DRY under the old tree. You dubbed it |
for fruit that was not quite ripe. be-
cause you couldn't wait any longer. You
hear the brook rumbling along over
The pebbles. You step again into the
furTow where your father in his shirt
sleeves shouted to the lazy oxen. You
brighten the swallows from the raft
rs Of the barn and take just one egg
md silence your conscience by saying
hey will not miss it. You take drink
again out of the very bucket that the
I'D well fetched up. You 60 for the
,ows at night and find them pushing
heir heads through the bars. Outlines
n the dusty and busy streets you wish
'ou were home again on the cool grass
n the rag carpeted hall of the farm
house. through which there came the
breath of new mown hay or the bios
ON of buckwheat.
You may have in your windows now
BEAUTIFUL plants and flowers brought
rom across the seas. but not one Of
hem stirs in your soul SO much charm
nd memory as the old ivy and the yell
ow sunfower that stood sentinel along
he garden walk and the forget-me-nots
laying hide and seek mid the long
'rass. The fsther'who used to come
n sunburned from the field and sit
oasu on the doorsiii and wipe the
weat from his brow may have gone to