Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-03-02
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

DIVINE.
Subject: ''The Housewives Perpiexities"
Martha and Mary-Daily Trials Pre-
pare One For Future Blessings.
TEXT: "Lord, dost Thou not care that
my sister hath left me to serve alcne? Bid
her therefore that she help me."-Luke K,
40.
Yonder Is beautiful village homestead.
The man OF the house Is dead and his
widow has charge OF the premises. 1t is
Widow Martha, of Bethany. Yes, l will
show you also the pet Of the household. 1t
is Mary, the younger sister, with book
under her arm, and In her face no sign OF
care or anxiety about anything. Company
has come. Christ's appearing at the outside
Of the door makes some excitement inside
the door. The sisters set back tho disar-
ranged furniture, arrange their hair, and
in flash prepare to open the door. They
do not keep Christ waiting outside until
they have newly appareled themselves or
elaborately 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 we're ladies, and al
ways 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 seated!' Christ brought COM
pany OF friends with Him, and the influx
Of so many city visitors, you do not Won
der, threw the country home into some
perturbation. Isuppose the walk from the
city had been keen appetizer. The
kitchen department that day was very
important department, and 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
said: "Now, let us have division OF labor.
Martha, you cook and I'll sit down and
learn"
The same difference you now sometimes
see between sisters. There Is Martha, in
dustrious, painstaking good manager,
ever inventive of some new pastry, discov-
ering something in household affairs.
Here is Mary, fond OF conversation, liter
nry, so full of questions Of ethics she has
welfare. 1t Is noon. Mary is in the par
lor. Martha is in the kitchen. 1t would
have been better for them to have divided
the toll, and then they could have divided
the opportunity of listening to Christ. But
Mary monopolizes Christ, while Martha
SWelIeTS pelOIt tue uIc. II WIS NoI
portant that they have good dinner that
day, for Christ was hungry, and He did not
often have luxurious entertainment. Alas,
me, II all the responsibility Of that enter
tainment had rested with Mary! What a
repast they would have had! But some
thing 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 herself, and,
forgetting all the proprieties OF the occa-
sion, with besweated brow she rushed out
of the kitchen into the parlor, perhaps
with tongs in one hand and pitcher In the
otner, and she cried out: Lord, dost Thou
not care that my sister has left me to serve
alone? Bid her therefore that she help
me-" Christ scolded not a word. If it
we're scolding, l would rather have Him
scold me than anybody else bless me.
There was nothing acerb in the Sayiour's
reply. He knew that Martha had been
working herself aim ost to deathto get Him
kindness, and He practically said: MY
dear woman, do not worry. Let the din
per go. Sit down here on this couch be-
side your younger sister, Mary. Let US
talk about something else. Martha, Mar
tina, thou art careful and troubled about
many things, but one thing is needful."
AS Martha throws open the door l look
in to-day, and 1 see great many
household apxieties, perplexities, fatigues
and trials, and about them / am going to
speak If the Lord of Mary and Martha and
Lazarus will help me by His grace.
AS I look into that door, in the first
place, see the trial Of nonappreciation.
That was what made Martha so vexed at
Mary. Mary, the younger sister, had no
proper estimate Of the elder sisters fa-
tigue. Just as now men having annoy
ances of store and factory and shop, or at
the Stock Exchange, come home at night
and hear of some household annoyance,
and they say, "Oh, that's nothing You
ought to be in factory a day and have ten
or fifteen or twenty or 100 subordinates.
Then you would know something about
annoyance and trouble" Oh, man, let me
tell you that wife and a mother has to
conduct at the same time a university, a
clothing establishment, restaurant, a
laundry, library, and has to be health
reaiml She has to do a thousand
things, and to do them well, in order to
make things 60 smoothly. and that is what
puts the awful tax on q woman's nerves
and woman's brain. know there nre
exceptions to the rule. Sometimes you
will find woman who can sit in the arm
chair Of the library all day without any
and all the cares of the household are
thrown upon servants who have large
wages and great experience; but that is
the exception. Ispeak OF the great masses
of housekeepers, to whom life is a strug-
gle, and who at thirty years Of age look as
though they were forty. The fallen at Cha
Ions and Austerlitz and Gettysburg and
Waterloo are a small number in comparison
with those who have gone down under the
Armageddon Of the kitchen. Go out to the
country and look over the epitaphs on the
tombstones. They are all beautiful and
poetic, but II the tombstones could tell the
truth thousands OF them would say, "Here
lies woman who was killed by too much
mending and sewing and baking and scour-
ing and scrubing," and the weapon with
which she was killed was u broom or a
sewing machine or ladle.
The housewife rises in the morning half
rested. At ar irrevocable hour she must
have the morning repast ready. What If
the fire will not burn, what II the clock
stop, what II the marketing has not been
sent in? No matter that; it must be ready
at the irrevocable hour. Then the chill
dren must be got ready for school. But
what If the garments be torn? What If
they do not know their lessons? What II
the hat or sash is lost2 They must be
ready. Then you have the duty Of the day,
or perhaps several days, to plan out. But
what II the butcher sends meat unmasti-
cable? What IL the grocer furnishes your