Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-12-27

angels on their wings might have
brought an infant Saviour to Bernie
hem without Mary's being there at al.
When the villagers on the morning OF
December 90 awoke, by Divine arfang
ment and in some unexplained way Tn
child Jesus might have been found n
some comfortable cradle of the villa ge-
But no, mol Motherhood for all time
was to be consecrated, and one OF the
tenderest- rela tons was to be the ma
ternal relation and one of the sweet
est words mother" In all ages COD
has honored good motherhood. 81
Bernard had a good mother. Samuel
Budget a good mother. Doddridge
good mother. Walter Scott a gooo
mother. Benjamin West a good
mother. In a great audience, most OF
whom were Christians, asked that all
those who had been blessed of CHRIS
tian mothers arise. and almost the en-
tire assembly stood up. Do you not see
how Important it is that all mother
hood be consecrated2> Why did Titan,
the Italian artist, when he sketehed the
Madonna, make it an Italian facef
Why did Rubens, the German artist, In
his Madonna, make it a German face?
Why did Joshua Reynolds. the English
artist, in his Madonna. make it an Eng
lish face? Why did Murillo, the Span
ish artist, in his Madonna, make 1t a
Spanish face? I never heard, but
think they took their own mothers as
the type of Mary, the mother of Christ.
When you hear some one in sermon or
Grafton speak in the abstract of a good,
faithful, honest mother, your eyes fill
up with tears, whiIes you say to your
self: ''That was my mother"
The first word a child utterssis apt
to be "Mother!" and the old man in his
dying dream, calls: Mother,
mother!" 1t matters not whether she
was brought up in the surroundings of
city and in aff1uent home and wass
dressed appropriately with reference
to athe demands of modern life or
whether she wore the old time cap and
great round spectacles and apron OF
her own make, and knit your socks
with her own needles seated by the
broad fireplace, with great backlog
! ablaze, on winters night; it matters
| not how many wrinkles crossed and re-
crossed her face or how much her
shoulders stopped with the burdens OF
a long life, if you painted Madonna
hers would be the face. What gentle
what a voice to soothe pain, and was
| there anyone who could so fill up a
room with peace and purity and light?
! And what a sad day that was when
we came home and she could greet us
not, for her lips were forever still.
| Come back, mother, in these Christian
times and take your old place, and as
ten or 20 or so years ago come and open
the old Bible as you used to, read and
kneel in the same place where you
used to pray and look upon us as OF
old when you wished US a merry
Christmas or happy New Year. But
NO! That would not be fair to call you
back. You had troubles enough and
aches enough and bereavements
enough while you were here. larry by
the throne, mother, till we join you
there, your prayers all answered, and
in the eternal homestead of our God
we shall again keep Christmas jubilee
together. But speak from your
thrones, all you glorified mothers, and
say to all these, your sons and daugh-
| tiers, words of love, words of warning,
words of cheer. They need your voice,
for they have travelled far. and with
many a heartbreak since you left them,
and you 10 well to call from the heights
of Heaven to the valleys of earth
Hail, enthroned ancestry! We are
coming. Keep place right beside yeu
at the banquet.
| Slow footed years. More swiftly run
! Into the gold of that unsetting sun.
Homesick we are for thee,
Calm land beyond the sea.