The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-02-13
HOUSEHOLD TRIALS.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE SPEAKS TO WIVES
AND MOTHERS.
Faffgues and AnnOynnces of Home
Ltee Are Preparatory Steps to High
Rewnrd-Lessons Drawn From the
Story of Mary and Martha.

u
Lie Are Preparatory Steps to High
iReward-Lessons Drawn From the
Story of Mary and Martha.
copyright. 1899. by American Press Asso.
ciation.]
7 WASHINGTON, Feb. 12.-This discourse
OF DR.. Talmago seems to open all tho doors
OF home life and ronses appreciation Of
work not ordinarily recognized; text,
Luke Z, 40: Lord, dost thou not care
that my sister hath left me to serve alone,
Bid her therefore that she help mo-"
Yonder Is u beautiful village home
stead. The man Of the house is dead and
his widow has charge Of the premises. 1t
Is Widow Martha Of Bethany. Yes l will
show you also the pet Of the household.
1t Is Mary, tho younger sister, with
book undor her arm, and in her f,.ce no
sign Of care or anxiety about anything.
Company has come Christ appearing at
,s.S ow.r.,.o = ~ ,,u ;,Sor makes some excite
ment inside Tho door. The sisters set hack
the disarranged furniture, arrange their
hair and In flash prepare to open tho
door. They do not keep Christ waiting
outside until they have newly appareled
themselves or elaborately arranged their
Srdases, and then with affected surprise
come out and pretending not to have heard
the two or three previous knockings say,
"Why, is that you?" No, they were ladies'
and always presentablc, although perhaps
they had not on their best Mono Of us
always have ON orr best. Otherwise very
soon our best would not be worth having
on. They throw open the door and greet
Christ. They say: "Good morning, Mas
ter. Come In and be seated" Christ
brought n company Of friends with him,
aud the influx Of SO many city visitors,
you do not wonder, threw the country
home into some perturbation suppose
the walk from the city had been q keen
appetizer. The kitchen department that
day was very important department.,
and I think as soon as Martha had
greeted her guests she wont to tEat room.
MARY had no anxiety about the dinner.
She had full confidence that her sister
Martha could get up tho best dinner in
bethany, and she practically said: "Now,
let us have division of labor. Martha,
you cook, and I'll sit down and learn"
Two sisters Differ.
The same difference you now sometimes
gee between sisters. There Is Martha,
industrious, painstaking u good manager,
ever inventive of some new pastry, dis
covering something in household affairs.
Here is Mary, fond of conversation, liter
ary, SO full Of questions of ethics shD has
no time to discuss questions of household
r. i,, Mor1r is, in No, n,
Martha Is In tho kitchen. 1t would have
bcen botter for them to have divided the
toll, and then they could have divided the
opportunity of listening to Christ. But
Mary monopolizes Christ while Martha
swelters before the fire. 1t was very I'M
Portant that they have good dinner that
day, for Christ was hungry, aud he did
NOT often have luxurious entertainment.
Alas, me! II all tho responsibility Of that
entertainment had rested with Mary, what
q repast they would have had But some
thing went WRONG in tho kitchen. Either
che fire would not burn, or the bread
would not bake, Or something was turned
black that ought to have boon only turned
brown, or Martha scaldei herself and,
forgetting all the proprlct:es Of the coca
sion, with besW eatcd brow size rushed out
Of the kitchen into The parlor, porhaps
with tongs In one hand and pisoher in the
other, and she cried out: "Lord, dOst
thou not care that my sister has left meto
porve alone9 Bid her therefore that she
help me- Christ scoided not a word. II
Dytc scolding, would rather have him
me than anybody olse bless me.
40 was nothing acerb in the Saviour's
s~v,1,y lTn Epa bot ri hu t,o1
working herself almost to death to got him
something to eat, and he appreciated her
kindness, and he practically said: "My
dear woman, do rot worry. Let the din
ner 60. Sit down here on this uo,,ch bo-
side your younger sister Mary. Lot us
talk about something else Martha,
Martha, thou art careful hnd troubled
about many things, but one thing is need
tul"
|. As Martha throws open the door look
in today, and sec a great many house,
hold anxieties, perplexities, fatigues and
trials, and about them I anl going to
speak If the Lord Of Mary and Martha
and Lazarus will help nc by his grace.
y Annoyances Of Home Life.
As look into that door, In the first
place, ! see tho trial Of nonappreciation.
That was what made Martha so ve1ed at
Mary. Mary, the younger sister, had no
proper est innate Of the elder sister, fatigue,
5ust as now men having annoyances Of
store and factory and shop or ut the Stock
Exchange come home ut night and hear
Of some household annoyance, and they
bay: "Oh, that's roth!ng You ought to
be In factory day and have 10 or Is or
DO or 100 subordinates. Then YOU would
know something about annoyance and
trouble." o man. let NE tell you that
wife and Il mother lius 10 conduct at the
isamo time q university, clothing cstab-
lishment, restaurant, laundry, q
library, and has to lie health officer, police
and president of the whole realm! She
has to do II thousand things, and to do
them we'll, in order to make things go
smoothly, and that is what puts the awful
tax on u woman = nerves and u woman's
brain. know there are exceptions to the
rule Sometimes you will find q woman
who can sit In the armchair of the library
all day without any anxiety or tarry on
the belated pillow, and all tho cares Of tho
household are thrown upon servants who
have large wages and great experience,
but that is the exception. speak of the
great masses Of ho,lsekoepers, to whom llfe
b struggle, and who ut 30 years Of age
hook as though they were 40. The fallen
~ Chslors and Austerlitz and Gettysburg
and Waterloo are small number in conf
parison with those who have gone down
under the Arnlageddon Of tho kitchen.
60 out to tho country and look over tho
epitaphs on tho tombstoncs They are all
beautiful and poetic but If the tombstones
could sell the truth thousands Of them
would say Here lies woman who was
killed by too much mendlng and sewing
and baking and securing and scrubbing,"
and the weapon with which she was
KILLED was a broom or a sewing machine
or ladlc.
The housewife rises in the morning half
rested. At an irrcvocable hour she must
have tho morning ropast ready. What II
the fire will not burne What II tho clock
stops What If the marketing has mob been
sent IMP No matter that; 1t must be ready
At tho irrevocable hour. Then the chill
Nren must be got ready for school. Bat
what II the garments be torni What II
IAA "A r ADDPN