The record-union., 1899-02-27
An ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE
REV. MIR. HOsKINs0N TALKS TO
WOMEN.
interesting and Able Sermon De-
Hvered at the Sixteenth-Streec
Lutheran Church.

Rev W. s. HOSkinSOn, pastor U uiS
Sixteemth-street Lutheran Churcn, De-
livered an interesting sermon last even
ing ON the subject of 'Woman's Uselul-
ness" 1t was an anniversary ADDRESS
to women, and the pastor took his text
from / Chron., xxi, II: Arise, there
fore, and be doing; and the Lord be
with thee"
Inactivity, he said is the dry rot OF
life. Misdirected effort is not much bet
ter. To be useful in the right way Is
the noblest dignity of manhood and
nvomanhood. 1t is this which blends
mans life with Gods will in sweet har-
anony, and in this noble work there is
neither male nor female. go work in
my vineyard means anyone with a
heart that can love and a hand that can
work. May we hope to stir your hearts
a little tonight towards having some
high and noble aim in life.
l care not that you shall ever be
wealthy or great as the world thinks OF
greatness but wish for you the richest
endowment of head and heart and abil-
6ty to see the needy world about you,
and then a strong desire to match the
angels in being useful. Then life for
you will be of some worth-the begin
ming of that harmony which makes
heaven.
With Unborn and unboastful majesty,
Alike from careless levity remote.
And a behavior schooled by selfish rules;
Alike removed from rashness and from
With firm and fearless steps she ever
walked
The narrow path of duty..al unconscious
That she won worship where he
Never dreamed of APPRECIATION.
Every right sense of true manhood or
womanhood is shocked by bad woman,
but there is no greater object of pity
to be found anywhere than the useless
woman. And yet how many useless
men and women there seem to be, fill
ing no place where they will be missed
when gone. Now, each one Of you,
stirred with desire to live, cannot af-
ford to be useless.
The mwearied devotion to others of
Him whose you are and whom you
serve is whitening rebuke to useless
mess The lilies of the field and the
fowls of the air He honored for their
usefulness, but the barren tree He
Srnote with a curse. The virgins who
preferred Incidence and sleep to duty
found the gates of the kingdom closed
wrapped and buried his talent was sent
to outer darkness. And no amount of
people will be an excuse for your doing
nothing. Each woman failing to do her
part toward the worlds veal will be
missed in the onward march of man
kind; one note will sound discord and
break the harmony.
Then, too 1T is sad "to live only as a
hindrance, waste, a sluggish weight
on fast-fying time" When our friendly
elm is caught up by the storm and cast
down to die we feel loss-a blank Its
green leaves and cooling shade were a
delight and a benediction and the
seughing of the winds through its
branches always pleased u.s.
But who cares when the old dead
past is torn out and thrown on the
heap to rot? Many a life might have
been like the towering redwoods or as
the willows waving over the river but
chose to be useless. And whether you
are to be as beautiful trees of life. laden
with blossoms and good fruits, or to
be only the rootless, lifeless posts. is a
very important thought. The castle of
Incidence is within easy reach of every
life but we would have every one of
its moldy, creaky gates closed against
you, and warn you against listless idle
ness. We want not that you make
companions Of these:
Their. labor is to kill the time,
And labor dire 1t is and weary woe.
They sit. then loll, turn Ger some idle
rhyme,
Or saunter forth with lettering step and
slow.
You Of sound body and mind, more is
expected. The imbecile and idiot may
be excused for living an aimless life,
but you We're made to be useful.
Life is real and earnest. It is no
child's toy-it is not bubble to float
in the air nor insect to dance on the