The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-03-15


TEXT: "Let them learn first to show
piety at home. - Timothy VA.
During the summer montbs the tendency
Is to the fields, to visitation, to foreign
travel and the watering places. and the
ocean steamers are thronged, but In the
winter 1t is rather to gather in domestic
circles, and during these mont hs We spend
many Of the hours within doors, and the
apostle comes to US and says that we ought
to exercise Christian behavior amid all
such circumstances. "Let them learn first
to show plety at home"
There are q great many people longing
for some grand sphers in which to serve
+ God. They admire Luther ut tho diet OF
Worms, and only wish that they had some
such great opportunity In which to display
their Christian prowess. They admire
Paul making Felix tremble, and they only
wish that they had some such grand occa-
sion 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: II will show you place
where you can exhibit nil that Is grand and
beautiful and glorious In Christian charac-
ter and that Is the domestic circle. Let
them learn first to show,piety at home"
II one Is not faithful In an Insignificant
sphere, he will not be faithful In rec ound-
Ing sphere. IfPeter will not help the Grip
pie at the gate Of the temple, he will
never be able to preach 5000 into the king
dom at the Pentecost. II Paul will not
take pains to instruct In the way OF saliva
tion the jailor OF the Philippian dungeon,
he will never make Felix tremble. He
who Is not faithful in skirmish would not
he faithful in an Armageddon. The fact
Is, we are all placed In just the position 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 while gain, but the all absorb
Ing question with YOU and with me ought
to be, Lord. what wilt Thou have me now
and here to do2"
There Is one word in st. Paul's sdjurs-
tion around which the most Of our
thoughts will revolve. That word Is
home" Ask ten different men the mean.
Ing OF that word and they will give you
ten different definitions. To one It means
love at the hearth, plenty at the thble, in
dustry at the work stand, Intelligence at
the books, devotion at the alter. In that
household discord never sounds its war
whoop, and deception never tricks with its
false face. To him 1t means greeting at
the door and smile at the chair, peace
lowering like wings, Joy clapping its hands
with laughter. Life is a tranquil lake.
PllIowed on the rlpples sleep the shadows.
Ask another man what home Is and he will
tell 1t is want looking out OF cheerless
are-grate. kneadlng hunger, in an empty
bread tray. The damp air shivering with
curses. No Bible on the shelf. Children
robbers and murderers in embryo. OBJ
scene songs their lullaby. Every face a
picture OF ruin. Want In the background
and sin staring from the front. No Sab
bath wave rolling over that doorsill. Yes.
tibule OF the pit. Shadow OF internal
walls. Furnace for forging everlasting
chains. Fagots for an unending funeral
pile. Awful word. 1t Is spelled with
curses, 1t weeps with ruin, 1t chokes with
woe, 1t sweats with the death agony OF de-
spair. The word "home" in the one case
"home'' in the other case means every
thing terrific.
shall speak now OF home as test OF
character. home as refuge, home as po-
litical safeguard, home as aschoo, and
home as a type OF heaven. And In the
first place, home ls powerful test OF char
acter. The disposition In public may be In
gay costume. while In private 1t Is disha-
billie. As play actors may appear In one
way on the stage and may appear IN an
other way behind the scenes, so private
cldlactel may po very uiuoEont fom puo-
lie character. Private character ia often
public character turned wrong side out.
A man may receive you into his parlor as
though he was dlstillation Of smiles, and
yet his heart may be swamp OF nettles.
There are business men who nll day long
are mild and courteous, and genial and
GOOD natured in commercial life, damming
back their irritability and their petulance
and their discomfort, but at nightfall the
dam breaks. and scolding pours forth IN
floods and freshets.
after sunshiny day there may be tenn
pestuous night. There are people who in
public act the philanthropist who at home
act the Nero with respect to their slippers
and their gown. Audubon, the great orni-
thologist, with gun and pencil went
through the forests OF America to bring
down and to sketch the beautiful birds. and
after years OF toll and exposure completed
his manuscript. and put 1t In trunk In
Philadelphia and went of for few days OF
recreation and rest and came back and
the manuscript, but without any discom-
posure and without any fret or bad temper
he again picked up his gun and his pencil
and visited again all the great forests OF
America and reproduced his immortal
work. And yet there are people With the
ten.thousandth part OF that loss who are
utterly irreconcilable, who at the loss OF a
pencil or an article OF raiment will blow as
long and loud and sharp as northeast
storm. Now, that man who Is aiable In
public and who Is irritable In private Is
making fraudulent and overissue OF stock,
and he Is as bad as a bank that might have
s4OO 900 or $500, 900 Of bills in circulation
with no specie In the vault. Let US learn
to show piety at home. II we have 1t not
there, we have 1t not anywhere. II we have
not genuine grace In the family circle, all
our outward and public plausibility merely
springs from the fear OF the world or from
the Shiny, putrid pool Of our own selfish
ness. tell you the home Is mighty test
OF character. What you are at home you
are everywhere, whether you demonstrate
1t or not.
Again, home Is a refuge. Life is the
United States army on the national road
to Mexico-a long march, with ever and
anon O skIrmish and battle. At eventids
we pitch our tent and stack the arms. we
hang up the war cap, and our head on the
knapsack we sleep until the morning bugle
calls US to march to the action. HOW
pleasant It Is to rehear5e the victories and
the surprises and thu attacks OF the day
seated by the still campfire OF the home
clrclel Yea, lie Is a stormy sea. With
shiyered masts and torn sails and hulk
aleak we put in at the harbor OF home.
Blessed harbor There we go for repairs
in the drydock. The candle In the window
is to the toiling man the lighthouse guild
meet their fathers rs pilots at the Narrows
take the hand OF ships. The doorsill OF the
home is the wharf whore heavy life ts un-
1.don rrbsre ia the place where we NAV