Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-02-02
DIR, TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

hOOd-W0nders Cnrlstianlty Has Done
For the Weaker Sex.
TExr: "Elisha passed to Shunem, where
was great woman."-II Kings iv., 8.
The hotel of our time had no counterpart
in any entertainment of olden time. The
vast majority OF travellers must then be en-
lertained at private abode. Here comes
Elisha, q servant Of the Lord, on u divine
mission, and he must find shelter. bal
cony overlooking the valley Of Esdraeion
is offered him in private house, ana II Is
especially furnished for his occupancy-a
chair to sit on, a table from which to eat, a
randlestick by which to read and bed on
which to slumber, the whole establishment
belonging to great and good woman. Her
husband, 1t seems, was a godly man, but
he was entirely overshadowed by his wifes
excelences; just as now you sometimes
find in a household the wife the centre OF
dignity and influence and power, not by
any arrogance or presumption, but by su-
perior intellect and force Of moral nature,
welding domestic affairs and at the same
time supervising all financial and business
uffairs-the wife's hand on the shuttle or
the banking house or the worldly business.
You see hundreds of men who are sue
cessful only because there is a reason at
home why they are so successful. II a man
marry a good, honest soul. he makes his
fortune. II he marry fool, the Lord help
him. The wife may be the silent partner
in the firm, there may be only masculine
voices down on Exchange, but there often
times comes from the home circle poten-
tial and elevating influence. This woman
of my text was the superior OF her husband.
He as far as l can understand, was what
we often see in our day, man of large for
tune and only modicum Of brain, intense
ly quiet, sitting long while In the same
place without moving hand or foot, If you
say eyes, responding "Yes;" II you say
mo" responding "No"-inane, eyes half
chut m
position in society only because 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
to distinguish them. What would title OF
duchess or princess or queen-what would
escutcheon or cleaning diadem be to this
woman of my text, who by her intellig ence
and her behavior challenges the admira-
lion OF all 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 brilliant women who sat on the throne
of Russia have beensforgotten some grand
father will put on his spectacles, and hold
ing 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 great in her
hospitalities. UnciviIized and barbarous
nations have this virtue. Jupiter had the
surname of the Hospitable, and he was
said especially to avenge the wrongs OF
strangers. Homer extolled 1t in his verse.
The Arabs are punctilious on this subject,
and among some of their tribes 1t is not un-
til the ninth day of tarrying that the occu-
pant has u right to ask his guest, "Who
and whence art thou?" II this virtue Is so
honored among barbarians, how ought 1t
to be honored among those of US who be-
lieye in the Bible, which commands us to
use hospitality one toward another with
out grudging!
OF course do not mean under this cover
to give any idea that approve OF that
vaSrant class who 80 around from place
to place, ranging their whole lifetime, per-
haps under the auspices of some benevo-
lent or philanthropic society, quurtering
themselves on Christian families with u
great pile of trunks in the hall and carpet
bag 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, como under the
auspices of some charitable institution to
spend few weeks and canvass the neigh
borhood. Let no such religious tramps
take advantage of this beautiful virtue of
Christian hospitality. Not so much the
sumptuousness OF your diet and the
friend or the stranger that steps across
your threshold rs the warmth of your
greeting; the informality of your recep-
tion, the reiteration by grasp. and by
look, and by thousand attentions, in
significant ott attentions OF your earnest
appreciation Of your welcome, though
you have nothing but the brazeu can
dlestick and the plain chair to offer
Elisha when he comes to Shunem. Most
beautiful is this grace of hospitality
when shown in the house OF God. 1 am
thankful that have always been pastor
of churches where strangers are well
come. But l have entered churches
where there was no hospitality. A
stranger would stand in the vestibule
for while and then make q pilgrimage up
tho long isle. No door opened to him until
flushed and excited and embarrassed, he
started back again and, coming to some
half filled pew, with apologetic air entered
it, while the occupant gared on him with
look which seemed to say, swell, if I must,
must" Away with such accursed inde-
cency from the house of God Let eyery
church that would maintain large Christian
influence in community culture Sabbath by
Sabbath this beautiful grace of Christian
hospitality.
A good man travelling in the far West, in
the wilderness, was overtaken by night
and storm, and he put in at cabin. He
and he felt alarmed. He did not know but
that he had fallen into a den of thieves.
He sat there greatly perturbed. After
while the man of the house came homo
with gun on his shoulder and set it down
in corner. The stranger was still more
alarmed. After awhile the man of the
house whispered with his wife, and the
stranger thought his destruction was be-
ing planned. Then the man Of the house
came forward and said to the stranger:
stranger, we are II rough and rude peo-
pie out here, and we work hard for
a living. We make our living by
hunting, and when we come to the
nightfall we are tired and we are apt to go
to bed early and before retiring we are al
ways in the habit OF reading chapter
from the word Of God and making prayer.
II you don't like such things, II you will
Just step outside the door until we get
through I'll be greatly obliged to you"
or course the stranger tarried In the room,
and the old hunter took hold of the horns
OF the altar and brought down the blessing
OF God upon his household and upon the
stranger within their gates. Rude but
glorious Christian hospitality
This woman OF the text was only type