St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-02-18
A NOBLE WOMANHOOD.
Dr.. Talmage Draws Lessons from IN
Unnamed Bible Character.
Her Good Qualities Set Forth - TIE
Hand ON the Shuttle-The Great.
ncss Of Christian Char.
acterIstics.

Taimage's sermon, in which he set.
forth The qualities Of good and nob!,
Momanhood; text, Ii Kings as, .'Eiish;
passed to Shunem, where was a grea
woman"
The hotel oil our time haG no counter
part in airy entertainment Of cider
time. The vast majority of travellers
must then be entertained at private
abode. Here comes Elisha, servant
of the Lord, or Divine mission, and h.
must find shelter. A balcony overlook
ing the valley of Esdrae:on is offerel
him in private house, and ii is espe
cial!y furnished for his occupancy
chair 10 sit on, table from which Il
eat. candlestick by which to read anG
a bed on which 10 s'umber, the whole
establishment belonging to great and
good woman. Her husband, it seems
was godly man, but he was entirely
overshadowed by his wife'e excellences
just as now you sometimes find in a
| 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 a:
the same time supervising all financial
| business affairs. The wife's hard or
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 successful. Ii a man
marry good, honest soul, he makes his
fortune. If he marry fool, the Lore
help him! The wife may be the silent
partner in the firm, there may be only
masculine voices down en- exchange,
but there oftentimes comes from the
home circle potential and elevating il
fluence. This woman OF my text was
the superior of her husband. He as far
see in our day, a man Of large fortune
and only modicum Of brain, intensely
quiet. sitting long while in the same
place, without moving hand or foot: it
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 large patrimony. But
his wife, my text says, was great
woman. Her name has no. come down
to US. She belonged to that collection
Of people who need no name to dis
tiIguish them. What would title Of
duchess or princess or queen-what
would escutcheon or cleaning diaden.
be to this woman Of my text, wLo. by
her intelligence and her behavior, cha.-
lenges the admiration Of all ages? Long
after the brilliant women of the court
of Louis XIV. have been forgotten, and
the brilliant women CT 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 spec:acles
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 great in her
Inequalities. Uncivilized and barbar-
Gus nations have this virtue. Jupiter
lad the surname of the Hospitable, and
he 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 ii 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
honorcd among barbarian<, how ought
it 10 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 q 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
driver, come under the aus
pices of some charitable institution to |
spend q few weeks and canvass the |
Let no such religious
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 th4
warmth Of your greeting. the infor-
nality OF your reception, the reitera-
ton by grasp and by look and by
thousand attentions, Insignificant at
lentions, Of your earnestness Of well
come. There will be high appreciation
Of your welcome though you have moth
ing but the brazen candlestick and the
plain chair to offer Elisha when he
comes to Shunem. Most beautiful is
his grace OF hospitality when shown in
he house Of God. am thankful that
have always been pastor of churches
where strangers are welcome. But
rave entered churches where there was
10 hospitality. A stranger would stand
n the yestibule for awhile and then
make a pilgrimage up the long aisle.
20 door opened TO him until, flushed
md excited and embarrassed, he start
d back again. and coming to some half
illed pew with apologize air entered
t, while the occupant giared on him
With a look which seemed 10 saw:
Well, If must, l must" Away with
uch accursed indecency from the
louse Of God. Let every church that
rouid maintain large Christian infiu-
nee in community culture Sabbath by
abbath this beautiful grace Of Chris
ian hospitality. II
\ good man travelling in the far west
d the wilderness was oyertaken by
light and storm. and he put in at =
abin. He saw firearms along the beams
the cabin. and he felt alarmed. He
ID not know but that he had fallen
ito den Of thieves He sat there
realty perturbed. After awhile the
ian OF the house came home with gun