The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1899-01-20
A NOBLE WOMANHOOD.
Dr.. Talmage Draws Lessons from an
Unnamed Bible Character.
Her Good Qualities Set Forth - The
Hand on the ShuttIe-The Great
ness of Christian Char
acteristIcs.

forth the qualities of good and noble
womanhood; text, Ii Kings AS, Elisha
passed to Shunem, where was a great
woman"
The hotel of our time had no counter
part in any entertainment OF Clden
time. The vast majority of travellers
must then be entertained at private
abode. Here comes Elisha, servant
of the Lord, or a Divine mission, and he
must find shelter. balcony overlook
ing the valley Of Esdraeion is offered
him in private house, and it Is espe-
cially furnished for his oecupancy-a
chair to sit on, table from which to
eat, a candlestick by which to read and
a bed on which to slumber, the whole
blishment belonging 10 great and
good woman. Her husband, it seems,
was a godly man. but he was entirely
overshadowed by his wife'2 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 hard on
the shuttle, or the banking house, or
the worldly business.
You see hundreds Of men who are sue
cessfu1 only because there is reason at
home why they are successful. If man
marry a good, honest soul, he makes his
fortune. If he marry fool, the Lord
e. h. - e3I
partner in the firm, there may be only
masculine voices down en- exchange,
but there oftentimes comes from the
home circle potential and elevating III
fuence. This woman of my text was
the superior of her husband. He as far
as can understand. was what W.T. often
see in our day, man of large fortune
and only modicum of brain. intensely
quiet. sitting a long while in the same
you say Yes" responding Yes" if
you say "No," responding "No"-inane.
eyes half shut, mouth wide open. main
tanning his position in society oily be-
cause he has a large patrimony. But
his wife, my text says, was great
woman. Her name has not come down
to US. She belonged to that collection
of people who need no name 10 dis
tiDguish them. What would title of
duchess or princess or queen-what
would escutcheon or cleaning diadem
be to this woman of my text, wto, by
her intelligence and her behavior. cha,
lenges the admiration of all ages? Long
after the brilliant women of the court
of Louis Nv. have been forgotten, and
the brilliant women OF the court of
Spain have been forgotten. and the bril-
liant woman who sat on the thrcne Of
Russia have been forgotten, some
grandfather will put on his spectacles
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 great woman.
In the first place, she was grea in her
hcspitalities. Uncivilized and barbar-
Gus nations have this virtue. Jupiter
had the surname of the Hospita bic, and
be was said especially to avenge the
wrongs of strangers. Homer extolled
it in his verse. The Arabs are punctili-
Gus on this subject, and among some of
their tribes it is not until the ninth day
of tarrying that the occupant has
right to ask his guest: who and
whence art thou?" If this virtue is so
honored among barbarians, how ought
it to be honored among those of us who
believe in the Bible, which commands
us to use hospitality one toward an
other without grudging?
Of course, do not mean under this
cover to give any idea that approve of
that vagrant class who go around from
place to place, ranging their whole life
time perhaps under the auspices of
some benevolenst or philanthropic So
ciety, quartering themselves on Chris
tian families with great pile of trunks
in the hall and carpetbag portentous of
tarrying. There is many country
parsonage that looks out week by week
upon the ominous arrival of wagon
with creaking wheel and lank horse and
dilapidated driver, come under the aus
pices of some charitable institution to
spend a few weeks and canvass the
tramps take advantage of this beauti-
full virtue of Christian hospitality. Not
so much the sumptuousness of your
diet and the regality of your abode will
impress the friend or the stranger that
steps across your threshold as the
warmth of your greeting, the infor-
mality of your reception, the reitera-
tion by grasp and by look and by
thousand attentions. Insignificant at
tentions, of your earnestness of wei
come. There will be high appreciation
Of your welcome though you have moth
ing but the brazen candiestick and the
plain chair to offer Elisha when he
comes to ShuEem. Most beautiful is
this grace of hospitality when shown in
the house of God. | am thankful that
| have always been pastor of churches
where strangers are welcome. But l.
have entered churches where there was
no hospitality. A stranger would stand
in the vestibule for awhile and then
make a pilgrimage up the long aisle.
No door opened to him until. flushed
and excited and embarrassed, he start
ed back again, and coming TO some half
filed pew with apologize air entered
it. while the occupant glared on him
with look which seemed 10 say:
Well. if ! must, must" Away With
k1cb accursed indecency from the