Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-02-17
THE DAILY TRIALS.
TALMAGE TELLS HOW HOUSEHOLD
PERPLExITlES BRING BLESSINGS.

The Manifold Duties of the Wife and
Mother Are Not Fully Appreciated.
Reward That Comes From Patient
md UnseIfish Service.
Copyright, 1899. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12-This dis
course of DR.. Talmage seems to open all
the doors of home life and rouses appre-
citation Of work not ordinarily recog-
nized: text. Luke x. 40: Lord. dost
thou not care that my sister hath left
me to serve alone9 Bid her therefore
that she help me. "
Yonder is beautiful village home
stead. The man of the house is dead
and his widow has charge Of the prem
ises. 1t is Widow Martha Of Bethany.
Yes, will show you also the pet of the
household. 1t is Mary. the younger sis
ter. with book under her arm, and in
her face no sign Of care or anxiety
about anything. Company has come.
Christ appearing at the outside Of
the door makes some excitement in
side the door The sisters set back
the disarranged furniture. arrange
their hair, and in a fash prepare
to open the door. They do not keep
Christ waiting outside until they have
newly appareled themselves or elabo-
rately arranged their tresses, and then
with affected surprise come out and,
pretending not TO have heard the two
or three previous knockings, say,
"Why, is that your" No. they were
ladies, and always presentable, although
perhaps they had not on their best
None Of us always have on our best.
Otherwise very soon our best would not
be worth having on. They throw open
the door and greet Christ. They say
Good morning, Master Come in and
be seatedl" Christ brought company
Of friends with him. and the influx OF
so many city visitors, you do not won
der. threw the country home into some
perturbation. l suppose the walk from
the city had been a keen appetizer. The
kitchen department that day was a very
important department. and l think as
soon as Martha had greeted her guests
she went to that room. Mary had no
anxiety about the dinner. She had full
confidence that her sister Martha could
get up the best dinner in Bethany, and
she practically said: Now, let us have
division Of labor. Martha, you cook
and III sit down and learn. "
The same difference you now some
times see between sisters. There is
Martha, industrious, painstaking,
good manager, ever inventive Of some
new pastry, discovering something in
household affairs Here Is Mary, fond
of conversation, literary. 80 full OF
questions Of ethics she has no time to
discuss questions of household welfare
1t is noon. Mary is in the parlor. Mar
tha is in the kitchen. 1t would have
been better for them to have divided
the toll. and then they could have d.
vided the opportunity Of listening to
Christ. But Mary monoPolizes Christ
while Martha swelters before the fire.
1t was very important that they have
good dinner that day, for Christ was
| hungry, and he did not often have lux
urious entertainment. Alas. me, II all
the responsibility Of that entertainment
had rested with Mary What a repast
they would have hadl But something
went wrong in the kitchen. Either the
fire would not burn or the bread would
not bake or something was turned
black that ought to have been only
turned brown, or Martha scalded her
self, and, forgetting all the proprieties
Of the occasion, with besweated brow
she rushed out of the kitchen into the
parlor, perhaps with tOngs in one hano
and pitcher in the other. and she cried
ont: Lord, dost thou not care that
nv sister has left me to serve alone
Bid her therefore that she help me. -
Christ scolded not a word. II 1t were
scolding. l would rather have him scold
me than anybody else bless me. There
was nothing acerb in the Saviour's re-
ply. He knew that Martha had been
working herself almost to death to get
him something to eat, and he appre-
ciated her kindness, and he practically
said: "My dear woman, do not worry
Let the dinner go. Sit down here on
this couch beside your younger sister,
Mary. Let us talk about something
else. Martha. Martha, thou art careful
and troubled about many things, but
one thing is needful. "
As Martha throws open the door
! look in today. and l see a great many
f household anxieties perplexities, ia
{ tigues and trials. and about them an
? going to speak if the Lord Of Mary anc
. Martha and Lazarus will help me by
his grace.
uousehoId PerpIexIties and Trials.
o As | look into that door, in the frs
1 place, l see the trial of nonappreciatlon
4 That was what made Martha 30 vexeC
{ at Mary Mary, the younger sister hat
q no proper estimate of the elder sister
= fatigue. Just as now men having an
novances Of store and factory and shop
or at the Stock Exchange, come home q
night and hear Of some household an
a novance. and they say: "Oh, that
Q nothingl You ought to be in factor.
n day and have 10 or Is or 20 or lO'
U subordinates. Then you would know
something about annoyance and trou
bic. " Oh, man. let me tell you that
wife and a mother has to conduct .
r the same time university, clothini
y establishment. a restaurants a laundry
library, and has to be health officer
police and president Of the whole realm
The has to do Thousand things an
20 do them well, in order to max
things go smoothly. and that is wha
puts the awful tax on a woman s nerve
and a womans brain. know there ar
y exceptions to the rule. Sometimes 20
II will md a woman who can sit IN 10
N arm. ...ir Of the library all day withou
le any anxiety, or tarry on the oelsts
is pillow. and all the cares OF the hous'
to hold are thrown upon servants vn
in have large wages and great experience
ly but that is the exception. speak
'c the great masses OF housekeepers.