The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-05-12
A NOBLE W0lIANHOOD.
DR.. Talmage Draws Lessons from an
Unnamed Bible Character.
Her Good Qualities Set FOrtb - The
Hand on the shuttIe-The Great
ness Of Christian Char
nctcristics.
Iwashlngton. Jon. IS copyright 1901

forth the qualities Of good and noble
womanhood; text, IL Kings AS, Elisha
passed TO Shunem. where was a great
woman"
The hotel Of our time had no counter
part in any entertainment Of olden
time. The vast majority Of travellers
must then be entertained at private
abode Here comes Elisha. servant
Of the Lord, on Divine mission. and he
must find shelter. A balcony overlook
ing the valley Of Esdrae.on is offered
him in a private house, and IL Is espe-
cially furnished for his occupaucy-a
chair to sit on, a table from which to
eat a candlestick by which to read and
bed on which TO siumber. the whole
establishment belonging 10 a great and
good woman. Her husband, il seems.
was a godly man. but he was entirely
overshadowed by his wife, eXcellences.
just as now you sometimes find in
household the wife the center Of dig
nifty and influence and power. not by
any arrogance or presumption. but by
superior intellect and force of moral
nature welding domestic affairs and az
the same time supervising all financial
business affairs. The wife's hand on
the shuttle, or the banking house, OF
the worldly business.
You see hundreds Of men who are sue
cessful only because there is a reason at
home why they are successful. If a man
marry a good. honest soul, he makes hls
fortune II he marry a fool, the Lord
help himl The wife may be the silent
partner in the firm, there may be only
masculine voices down On exchange,
but there oftentimes comes from the
home circle potential and eleyating in
fiuence. This woman of my text was
the superior of her husband. lie as far
as can understand, was what We often
see in our day, man Of large fortune
and only modicum Of brain, intensely
quiet, sitting a long while in the same
place. without moving hand or foot; II
you say yes" responding Yes" II
you say NO" responding "No"-inane
eyes half shut, mouth wide open, main
tanning his position in society only be-
cause he has large patrimony But
his wife. my text says, was a great
woman. Her name has not come down
to US. She belonged to that collection
Of people who need no name to dis !
tinguish them. What would title Of /
duchess or princess or queen-what /
would escutcheon or cleaning diadeu !
be to this woman Of my text, who by /
her intelligence and her behavior. cha,- /
lenges the admiration Of oil ages? Long /
after the brilliant women Of the court /
Of Louis XIV have been forgotten, and /
the brilliant women Of the court Of
Spain have been forgotten. and The bril-
liant woman who sat on the throne Of
Russia have been forgotten, some
grandfather will put on his speciacles
and, holding the book the other side the
light. read to his grandchildren the
story Of this great woman Of Shunem
who was so kind and courteous and
Christian to the good prophet Elisha.
Yes, she was a great woman.
In the first place, she was great in her
hospitalities. Uncivilized and barbar-
ous nations have this virtue Jupiter
had the surname Of the Hospitable, and
be was said especially to avenge the
of strangers. Homer eXtolled
i in his verse. The Arabs are punctili-
JUS on this subject, and among some of
heir tribes il is not until the ninth day
If tarrying that the occupant has a
light to ask his guest: "Who and
whence art thou?" II this virtue is so
lonored among barbarans, how ought
I to be honored among those Of us who
,elieve in the Bible, which commands
is to use hospitality one toward an
ther without grudging?
OF course, l do not mean under this
over TO give any idea that l approve Of
hat yagrant class who go around from
lace to place, ranging their whole life
ime perhaps under the auspices Of
ONE benevolenst or philanthropic so
iety, quartering themselves on Chris
ian families with great pile of trunks
b the hall and carpetbag portentous of
lrrying. There is many country
arsonage that looks out week by week
pom the ominous arrival of wagon
nth creaking wheel and lank horse and
ilapidated driver, come under the aus
ices Of some charitable institution to
pend q few weeks and canvass the
eighborhood. Let no such religious
amps take advantage of this beauti-
ll virtue Of Christian hospitality. Not
, much the sumptuousness Of your
let and the regality Of your abode will
npress the friend or the stranger that
cps across your threshold as tbs !
armth of your greeting, the infor-
atty Of your reception, the reitera-
on by grasp and by look and by {
lousand attentions, Insignificant at '
ntions, Of your earnestness of well |
me- There will be high appreciation /
your welcome though you have moth
z but the brazen candlestick and the O
ain chair TO offer Elisha when he l
mes to Shunem. Most beautiful is a
is grace Of hospitality when shown IN 0
e house Of Cod ! am thankful that l.
have always been pastor Of churches q
here strangers are welcome. But ! o
I'VE entered churches where there was u
, hospitality. A stranger would stand j.
the vestibule for awhile and theD [
axe a pilgrimage up the long aisle. C.
, door opened TO him until. flushed a
ID excited and embarrassed. he start s.
back again, and coming to some half d