The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-07-20

| taken on the garment for the poor the
needle has wrought wonders Of kindness,
| generosity and benciactiOn. II adorned
! the glrdle Of the high priest, II fashioned
the curtains in the ancient tabernacle, it
cushioned the charlDts OF King Solomon.
il provided the robes Of Queen Elizabeth
and in high places and IN low places, by
the fire Of the pioneers back log and un-
der the flash OF the chandelier-every-
whcrc-it has clothed nakcdncss, IL has
preached the gospel, IL has overcome hosts
! Of pcnury and want with the war cry OF
stitch stitch, stitch" The operatives
have found a livelihood by IT, and through
II the mansions of the employer are con
structcd.
Amid the greatest triumphs in all ages
and lands | set down the cOnqucsts Of the
needle. | admit It's crimes; | admit It's
crucltlcs. II has had more martyrs than
the fire; II has puncturcd the eye; IL has
pierced the side; II has struck weakness
INTO the lungs; II has sent madness into
the brain; II has filled the pottcr's field;
II has pitched whole armies Of the fuiTcr-
ing into crime and wrctchcdncss and woe.
But now that ! am talking OF Dorcas and
her ministries To the poor | shall spcal.
only of the charities of the needle This
woman was a representative OF all those
who make garments for the destitute, who
knit socks for the barcioOtcd, who prepare
bandages for the laCcratcd who fix mp
boxes Of clothing for missionaries, who go
into the asylums of the suffering and destl-
tutc hearing that gospel which is sight for
the blind and hearing for the deaf, and
which makes the lame man leap like hart
and brings the dead 10 life, immortal
! health bounding IN their pulses.
What a contrast between the practical
! bcncvolcncc of this woman and a great
| deal OF the charity Of this dayl This
! woman did not spend her time idly plan
! ming how the poor ot the city ot Joppa
were 10 be- relieved She took her needle
and relieved them. She was not like those
persons who sympathzc with imaginary
| sorrows and go out I'm the street and laugh
at the boy who has upset his basket of
| cold victuas, or like that charity which
| makes a rouslng speech on the benevolent
! platform and goes out 10 kick the hcggar
! from the step, crying, Hush your miscr-
able howling' Sufferers of the world
want not 30 much theory are practice; not
SO much tears AZ dollars; not 80 much kind
wishes as loavcs OF bread; not so much
smiles as shoes; not SO much God bless
you, as jackets and frocks. | will put
one earnest Christian man, hard working,
against 5000 mere theorists on the subject
OF charity. There are great many who
have fine IDEAS about church architecture
who never m their lives helped TO build a
church. There are men who can give YOU
the history of Buddhism and Mohammc-
! danlsm who never sent iaTthIng for
cvaugcli2ation. There are women who talk
beautifully about the suffering of the world
who never had the courage like Dorcas,
10 take the needle and assault il.
am glad that there is not page of the
worlds history which is not n record of
female bcncvolencc God says 90 all lands
and people, Come, now, and hear the
widows mite rattle down INTO the poor
box The Princess ot Cont sold all her
Jewel that she might help the famine
stricken. Queen blanche, the wife of
Louis VIII of France, hearing that there
We're some persons uniustly tucarccratcd
IN the prisons, went out amid the rabhle
and took a stick and struck the door as a
signal that they might all strike it. and
down went the prison door. and out came
the prisoners. Queen Maud, the wife Of
Henry l.. went down amid the poor and
washed their sores and administered to
them cordals. Mrs Rctson. at Matagor-
da, appeared on the battlefield while the
missiles of death were flying around and
cared for the wounded Is there a man
or woman who has ever heard of the civil
war IN America who has not heard of the
women OF the sanitary and Christian com
missions or the fact that before the smoke
had gone mp from Gettysburg aud South
Mountain the women of the north met the
women of the south on the battlefield, for
getting all their anlmosltics. while they
bound up the wounded and closed the eyes
oi the slain! Dorcas the hcnclactrcss
| come now to speak oi DorCas the In.
mcnted. When death struck down that
good woman, OH how much sorrow there
was in the town of Joppal | suppose there
were women there with larger fortunes,
women perhaps with handsomcr faces but
there was not grief at their departure like
this AZ the death of porCas. There were
not more turmoil and upturning in the
Mediterranean Sea dashng against the
wharvcs at that seaport than there were
surgings TO and fro of grief because Dorcas
was dead. There are a great many who
20 ont of life and are uumlssCd. There
may I've a very large funeral there may I've
a great many carriages and a plumcd
hcarsc. there may hC HIGH sounding Culo-
gums, the bell may toll az the cemetery
gate. there may bc a very fine marble
shaft reared over the resting place. hut
the whole thing may hc a ialschood and a
sham.
The church of God has lost nothing
the world has lost nothing lt is ONLY a
nuisance ahated II is only a guumhlcr
ccasing TO find fault II is only an ldlcr
stopped yawning. IL is only a dlsspatcd
| fashionable parted from his wine cellar,
while on the other hand no useful Chris.
tian leaves this world without being
missed.
The church of God cries out like thc
I prophet Howl fir tree, tor the cedar has
fallcni' Widowhood comes and shows
the garments which the departed had
made Orphans are lifted up to look into
the calm face of the sleeping hcuctactrcsS
Reclaimed vacrancy comes and kisses the
cold brow of her who charmed It away
from sin. and all through the streets oi
Jopua there ~ mourning mourning be
cause DorCas h dead.
When Josephine of France was carried
out To her grave. there were q great i'any
men and women of pomp and pride and
position that went cut after her. But
am most affected hv the story ol history
that on that day there were 10000 ot the
poor of France who followed her coffin
weeping and waiting until the air rang
again. because when they lost Josephine
they lost their last earthly friend.
oh. who would not rather have such oh.
scguies than an the tears that were ever
poured iu the hChrymals that have been
cNhumei from ancient cities
There may be no mass for the dead
: there NAV be no costly elfcouhagus there
may be- no elaborate mousolcum. but iu
the damn cellars of the city and through
I the lonely huts of the mountain glen there
,, ,, will he mourning. mourning. because Dor.
| cas- Is deed