Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-02-27
TALMAGE ON HOME.
THE PLACE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER

GirIhood-show Piety First at the
Fireside.
Copyright. 1899. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON. Feb. 26.-Many tender
recollections are stirred by DR.. Tai
IMAGES discourse and scenes of boyhood
and girlhood days will be lived over
again; text, 1 Timothy V. 4, Let them
learn first to show piety at home.
During the summer months the tend
ency is to the fields to visitation. to
foreign travel and the watering places
and the ocean steamers are thronged,
but in the winter it is rather to gather
In domestic circles. and during these
months 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 cir
cumstances LET them learn first to
show piety at home.
There are a great many people long
ing for some grand sphere in which to
serve God They admire Luther at the
diet of Worms. and only wish that
they had some such great opportunity
in which TO display their Christian
proves They admire Paul making
Felix tremble, and they only wish that
they had some such grand occasion in
which to preach righteousness. temper
ance and judgment to come. All they
want is an opportunity to exhibit their
Christian heroism. Now. the apostle
practically says u will show you a
place where you can exhibit all that is
grand and beautiful and glorious in
Christian character and that is the do
mestic circle Let them learn first to
show piety at home. If one is not
faithful in an insignificant sphere, he
will not be faithful in a resOunding
sphere If Peter will not help the Grip
pie at the gate of the temple, he will
never be able to preach 5000 into the
kingdom at the Pentecost If Paul will
not take pains to instruct in the way of
salvation the jailer of the Philippian
dungeon. he will never make Felix
tremble He who is not faithful i'll a
skirmish would not be 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 awhile gain. but the all alb
sorbing question with you and with me
ought to be- Lord. what wilt thou
have me now and here to dor
There is one word in ST. Pauls ad-
juraticn around which the most of our
thoughts will revolve. That word is
-'home Ask ten different men the
meaning of that word and they will
give you ten different definitions To
one it means love at the hearth, plenty
at the table, industry at the work stand,
intelligence at the books. devotion at
the altar In that household discord
never sounds its warwhoop. and de-
ception never tricks with its false face.
To him it means a greeting at the door
and smile at the chair, peace hover
ing like wings joy clapping its hands
with laughter Life is a tranquil lake.
Pillowed on the ripples sleep the shad-
ows Ask another man what home Is
and he will tell you it is want looking
out of a cherries fire CRATE, kneading
hunger in an empty bread tray. The
damp air shivering with curses. No
Bible on the shelf Children robbers and
murderers in embryo. Obscene songs
their lullaby. Every face a picture of
ruin. Want in the background and sin
staring from the front No Sabbath
wave rolling over that doorsill Vesti-
bule of the pit Shadow Of Internal
walls Furnace for forging everlasting
chains Fagots for an unending funeral
pile Awful word It is spelled with
curses. it weeps with ruin. it chokes
with woe. it sweats with the death
agony of despair The word ''home'
in the one case means everything bright.
The word home in the other case
means everything terrific.
As Test of Character.
/ shall speak now of home as a test
Of character. home as a refuge. home
as a political safeguard. home as a
school. and home as type of heaven.
And in the first place. home is power
full test of character. The disposition
in public may be in gay costume. while
in private it is dishabille. AS play &C
tors may appear in one way on the stage
and may appear in another way behind
the scenes. so private character may be
very different from public character.
Private character is often public char
acter turned wrong side out A man
may receive you into his parlor as
though he was distillation of smiles,
and yet his heart may be swamp of
nettles There are business men who
all day long are mild and courteous.
and genial and good natured in COM
mercial life. damming back their irrita-
bility and their petulance and their
discomfort. but at nightfa1 the dam
breaks and scolding pours forth in
Hoods and freshets
Reputation is only the shadow of
character. and a very small house some
times will cast very long shadow. The !
lips may seem to drop with myrrh and