St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-08-18

Toned the curtains in the ancient taber-
nacle, it cushioned the chariots of King
Solomon, it provided therobes of Queen
Elizabeth, and in high places and in
low places, by the fire of the pioneers
back log and under the fash of the
chandelier, everywhere, it has clothed
nakedness, it has preached the Gospel,
it has overcome hosts OF perjury and
want with the war cry Of "Stitch,
stitch, stitch!" The operatives have
found livelihood by ii, and through
it the mansions of the employer are
constructed.
Amid the greatest triumphs in all
ages and lands, i set down the con-
quests of the needle. admit its
crimes; I admit its cruelties. 1t has
had more martyrs than the fire; it has
punctured the eye; it has pierced the
side; it has struck weakness into the
lungs; it has sent madness into the
brain; it has filled the potter's field;
it has pitched whole armies. of the suf-
fering into crime and wretchedness
and woe. But now that am talk
ing of Dorcas and her ministries to
the poor, l shall speak 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 barefooted, who
prepare bandages for the lacerated,
who fix up boxes of clothing for mis-
sionaries, who 60 into the asylums Of
the suffering and destitute, bearing
that Gospel which is sight for the
blind and hearing for the deaf, and
which makes the lame man leap like
hare and brings the dead to life,
immortal health bounding in their
pulses. What contrast between the
practical benevolence of this woman
and a great deal of the charity of this
day! This woman did not spend her
time idly planning how the poor of
the city of Joppa were to be relieved;
she took her needle and relieved them.
She was not like those persons who
sympathize with imaginary sorrows,
| and go out in the street and laugh at
the boy who has upset his basket OF
cold victuals, or like that charity
which makes rousing speech on the
benevolent platform and goes out to
kick the beggnr from the step, crying:
Hush your miserable howling!" Suf-
ferers of the world want not SO much
theory as practice; not SO much tears
as dollars; not so much kind wishes as
loaves of bread; not so much smiles
as shoes; not SO much God bless
yous!" as jacAets and frocks. will
put one earnest Christian man, hard
working, against 5000 mere theorists
on the subject of charity. There are
a great many who have fine ideas
about church architecture who never
in their life helped to build a church.
There are men who can give you the
history of Buddhism and Mohamme-
danism who never sent farthing for
evangelization. There are women who
talk beautifully about the suffering of
the world, who never had the courage,
like Dorcas, to take the needle and
assault it.
am glad that there is not a page
of the worlds history which is not q
record OF female benevolence. God
says to all lands and people: Come
now and hear the widows mite rattle
down into the poor box. The princess
of Cont sold all her jewels that she
might help the famine stricken. Queen
Blanche, the wife of Louis VIII. Of
France, hearing that there were some
persons unjustly incarcerated in the
prisons, went out amid the rabble and
took stick and struck the door as .
signal that they might all strike it,
and down went the prison door, and
out came the prisoners. Queen Maud.
the wife of Henry /, went down amid
the poor and washed their sores and
administered to them cordials. Mrs.
Retson. at Matagorda. 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 Chris
ton commissions or the fact that be-
fore the smoke had gone up from Get
tysburg and South Mountain the wom-
en- OF the north met the women of the
south on the battlefield, forgetting all
their animosities while they bound up
the wounded and closed the eyes of
the slain? Dorcas, the benefactress.
come now to speak of Dorcas, the
that good woman, oh, how much sor-
row there was in the town of Joppa!
I suppose there were women there
with larger fortunes, women, perhaps,
with handsomer faces, but there was
no grief at their departure like this
at the death of Dorcas. There was not
more turmoil and upturning in the
Mediterranean sea, dashing against
the wharfs at that seaport, than there
were surgings to and fro of grief be-
cause Dorcas was dead. There are .
great many who 60 out of life and are
unmissed. There may be very large
funeral, there may be great many
carriages and a plumed hearse, there
may be high sounding eulogiums, the
bell may toll at the cemetery gate,
there may be very fine marble shaft
reared over the resting place, but the
whole thing may be falsehood and q
sham. The church of God has lost
nothing. 1t is only nuisance abated.
It is only grumbler ceasing to find
fault 1t is only an idler stopped
yawning. 1t is only a dissipated FASH
ionable parted from his wine cellar,
while on the other hand no useful
Christian leaves this world without be-
ing missed.
The church of God cries out like the
prophet: Howl. fir tree, for the cedar
has fallen!" Widowhood comes and
shows the garments which the depart
ed had made. Orphans are lifted up
to look into the calm face of the Sleep
ing benefactress. Reclaimed vagrancy
comes and kisses the cold brow of her
who charmed it away from sin, and
all through the streets Of Joppa there
is mourning-mourning because Dor
cas- is dead. When Josephine of France
was carried out to her grave. there
were a great many men and women