The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-03-28
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE Blythe NOTED
DIVINE.

DIVINE.
Subject: The Needles Havoc-An Appeal
For Mercy For Oppressed Woinanhood
let Her Have an Equal Chance With
Man iii the Struggle OF Life.
copyright laOUl
WASHINGTON, D. C.-This discourse o!
DR.. Talmage is On appeal for mercy in be-
! half OF oppressed womanhood and offers
| announcement to those struggling for II
livelihood; text, Eccesiastes, iv., l, "Be-
hold the tears OF such as were oppressed,
and they had no comforter"
Very long ago the needle was busy. 1t
was considered honorable for women to
toll in olden times. Alexander the Great
| stood In his palace showing garments made
| by his own mother. The finest tapestries
at Bayeux was made by the queen OF WILL
lam the Conqueror. Augustus, the en-
| peror, would not wear any garments ex-
| cept those that were fashioned by some
. member OF his royal family. So let the
toiler everywhere be respected. ,...
The needle has slain more than the
vented, some thought that invention would
alleviate woman's toll and put an end to
the despotism of the needle. But no.
While the sewing machine has been, great
blessing to weii.to-do families In many
cases It has added to the stab OF the needle
the crush Of the wheel, and multitudes OF
women, Notwithstanding the REINFORCE
ment OF the sewing machine, can only
make work hard as they will, between ~
and $3 q week.
The greatest blessing that could have
happened to our first parents was being
turned out OF Eden after they had done
wrong. Adam and Eve, In their, perfect
state, might have got along without work
or only such slight employment asla per-
feet garden with no weeds in 1t demanded.
But as soon as they had sipned thesbeat
thing for them was to be turned out where
! they would have to work. We know what
a witherlnG thing IT is fora man to hnve
nothing to do. ofthe thousand prosper
had to work vigorously at the beginning.
But lam now to tell you that industry is
Just as important for woman's safety and
happiness. The most. unhappy women In
our,communitiest day are those who have
no engagements TO call them up In the
morning; who, once having risen and
breakfasted, lounge through the dull fore
noon In slippers down at the heel and with
disbeveled hair, reading the Inst novel,
and 5who, having dragged through q
wretehed forenoon and taken their after
uOOu bloop huu udVluS pubScu I'LL uOuE anu
half at their toilet. pick up their card
+ case and 60 out to make calls, and who
pass their evenings waiting for somebody
TO come!fn and breakSup the monotonY.
Arabella Stuart neverpWas imprisoned In
so dark a dungeon al that,
There is no happin ep8 Ia AN idle woman.
It may be With hand ~ may be with brain,
it may be with foot bus work she must or
be wretched foreysr Ths :lit tIes.IsIs Of
our, families must be started With that
/ idea. The curse Of American society Is
first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth,
seventh, tenth, flftieth, thousandth thing
In their life is to get somebody to take care
Of them. Instead of that the FIRST lesson
should he how under God they: may take
care Of themselves. The simple fact is
that majority OF them do have to take
care of themselves, and that, too, after hav
ing through the false notions OF their par
ents wasted the years in which they ought
to have learned how successfully to main-
tain themselves. We now and here declare
the inhumanity, cruelty and outrage OF
that father and mother who pass their
daughters into womanhood, having glvon
them no faculty for earning their liveli-
hood.
Nine. de stael said, ut is, not these
writings that am proud Of, but the TACT
that have facility IN ten occupations, in
my one OF which I could make liveli-
hood" You say you bave O fortune to
leave them. Oh, man and woman, hive
you not learned that, liko vultures, like
hawks, like eagles, riches have wings and
fly away2 Though you should be success
full In leaving competency behind you,
the trlckery OF executors may swamp 1t in
a night or some official In our churches
may get up mining. company and induce
your orphans to put their money into
hole in Colorado and II by the most skillful
machinery the sunken money cannot be
brought up again prove to them TINT 1t
was eternally decreed that that was
the way they we're to lose 1t and that
1t went in the most orthodox and henv-
emily style. Oh, the dannable schemes that
professed Christians will engage In until
God puts His fingers into the collar OF tho
bypocrites robe and strips II clear down
to the bottoml You have no right, because
you are we'll of, to conclude that your chill
dren are going 10 be we'll of. A man died
leaving n large fortune. His son fell dead
In Philadelphia grogshop. His old COM
rades came IN and said as they bent over
his corpse, 'What is the matter with you,
Boggsy2" The surgeon standing over him
dead" they sad. Come, boys; let US SO
Boggsyl' Have you nothing better than
money to leave your children? II you have
not, but send Your daughters into the
world with empty brain and unskilled
hand, you are guilty OF assassination,
homicide, infaDticide.
There are women toiling In our cities for
80 or S3 a week who were the daughters OF
merchant princes. These suffering ones
now would be glad to have the crumbs
that once fell from their fathers table.
That worn out broken shoe that she wears
Is the l!neal descendant Of The $l2 Gaiter In
which her mother walked and that torn
and faded calico had uncestery OF magniA-
cent brocale that swept Pennsylvania av-
enue and Broadway clean without any ex-
pense to the street commissioners. Though
ycu live in IN elegant residence and fare
sumptuously every day, let your daughters
feel it Is n Disgrace for them not to know
how to work. ! denounce the idea prev
alent In society that, though our young
women may embroider slippers and crochet
and make mats for lamps to stnnd on with
out disgrace, the iden OF doing anything
for livelihood is dishonornble. 1t Is u
shame for young woman belonging to
large family to be inefficient when her
father tolls his life away for her support.
It is Il shame for u daughter to be idle
while her mother tolls at the washtub. It ts
as honorable to sweep house, make beds or
trim hats as it is to twist watch chain.
So far as can understand the line ORE
spectability lies between that which Is use
ful and that which is useless. II women
do that which Is OF no valne, their work Is
honorable. II they do practical work, It Is
dishonorable. That our young women
may esrepe the censure OF doing dishonor-
able work shall particula larizeE You may
.nit n tidy for the back OF an arm chair,
but by no means maxi. the money where
With to buy the chair. You may with a
delicate brush beautiIy mantel orna-
ment, but die rather rnan earn enough to
buy marble mante. You may learn
artistic music until you can squnll Italian,