Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-03-09

Many tender recollections are stirred
by Dr. Talmage's discourse, and scenes
OF boyhood and girlhood days viii be
lived over again; text, l Timothy, " Al:
Let them learn first to show piety at
home"
During the summer months the tend
ency is to the fields. to visitation, to for
eign travel and the watering places.
and the ocean steamers are thronged.
but in the winter it is rather to gather
In domestic circles, and during these
months we spend many of the hours
within doors, and the apostle comes
to us and says that we ought to exer-
else Christian behavior amid alb such
circumstances. Let them learn first
to show piety at home"
There are great many people long
ing for some grand sphere in which
to serve God. They admire Luther at
the diet of Worms and only wish they
had some such great opportunity in
which to display their Christian prov
ess. They admire Paul making Felix
tremble, and they only wish that they
had some sVlch grand occasion in which
to preach righteousness, temperance
and judgment to come. All they want
is an opportunity to exhibit their
Christian heroism. Now, the apostle
practically says: Il will show you a
place where you can exhibit all that
is grand and beautiful and glorious
in Christian character, and that is the
domestic circle. Let them learn first
to show piety at home" If one is not
faithful in an insignificant sphere. he
will not be faithful in a resounding
sphere. If Peter will not help the
cripple at the gate of the temple. he
will never be able to preach 5000 into
the kingdom at the Pentecost. If Paul
will not take pains to instruct in the
way of salvation the iailer of the Phil
ippian dungeon, he will never make
Felix tremble. He who is not faithful
in skirmish would not be faithful in
an Armageddon. The fact is, we are
all placed in just the positions in which
we can most grandly serve God, and
we ought not to be chiefly thoughtful
about some sphere Of usefulness which
we may after awhile gain, but the all
absorbing question with you and with
me ought to be: Lord, what wilt thou
have me now and here to do?"
There is one word in st. Paul's adj
iuration around which the most of our
thoughts will revolve. That word is
''home' Ask ten different men the
meaning of that word, and they will
give You ten different definitions. To
one it means love at the hearth, plen-
ty at the table, industry at the work
stand intelligence at the books, devo-
ton at the altar. In that household
discord never sounds its warwhoop and
deception never tricks with its false
face. To him it means a greeting at
the door and smile at the chair, peace
lowering like wings JOY clapping its
hands with laughter. Life is tran
auil lake Pillowed on the ripples sleep
The shadows. Ask another man what
home is. and he will tell you it is want
looking OF; Of a cherries fire CRATE.
kneading hunger in an empty bread
tray. The damp air shivering with
curses. No Bible on the shelf. Chill
dren robbers and murderers in embryo.
Obscene songs their lullaby Every
face picture of ruin. Want in the
background and sin staring from the
front. No Sabbath wave rolling over
that doorsill. Vestibule of the pit.
Shadow of Internal walls. Furnace Tor
forging everlasting chains. Fagots for
an intending funeral pile. Awful word.
1t is spelled with curses, it weeps with
rrin. il chokes with woe, it swears with
the death agony of despair. The word
.home" in the one case means every
thing bright. The word home" in the
other case means everything terrific
I shall speak now of home as test
of character, home as a refuge, home
as a political safeguard, home as q
school and home as type of Heaven
And in the first place home is pow
erful test of character. The DISPOSE
ton in public may be in gay costume
while in private it is dishabille. AS play
actors may appear in one way on tn,
stage and may appear in another way
behind the scenes, so private charac
ter may be different from public char
acter. Private character is often pub
Iiceharacter turned wrong side out. !
man anay receive You into his parlor a
though he were a distillation of smiles
and Net his heart may be a swamp o
nettles. There are business men WIFI
all day long are mild and courteous ant
genial and good nHtured in CONNER
cial life, damming back their irritable
~ and their petulance and their dis
content, but at nightfall the dan
breaks and seolding pours forth il
floods and freshets.
Reputation is only the shadow @
character. and a very small house some
times will cast very large shadow
The hps may seem to drop with myrr
and eassia and the disposition TO be a
bright and warm as sheath of sur
beams. and yet they may only be
magnificent show window for wretcl
ed stock Of goods. There is many
man who is affable in public life an
amid commercial spheres who in
cowardly way takes his anger and Ii
pefulance home and drops them in th
sSsne stic circle. The reason men q
~slS display their bad temper in publ
is fRcause they DO not want 10