The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-07-07
BULMARK OF
OUR LIBERTY
SERMON OF REV. ALBERT
HATCHER SMITH.
Delivered Last Night in North Main
Avenue Baptist Church-Problem
of American Home Is More Signifi-
cant Than All others-We Are
Farming Our Children Out to In
tellectual Nurses Altogether Too
Much-It Takes Them Away from
the Home Too Much.

tellectual Nurses Altogether TOO
Much-It Takes Them Away from
the Home Too Much.
In the North Main avenue Baptist
church last night Rev. Albert Hatcher
Smith preached an eloquent sermon on
"The American Home the Bulwark OF
American Liberty" He said:
This is day in which we hear much
about great problems and paramount Is
sues but in all sober truth let us hasten
to confess that the problem of the Amer
lean home is more significant than all
others. The problem is serious for many
reasons:
First-Because so much that Is being
done for young people by benevolent men,
tends to take people out of their homes.
MIR. Rockefeller and Mr.. Carnegie are no
doubt doing some good, but some mtllion-
aire must soon rise who will give to make
home life possible.
We are farming cur children out to in
tellectual nurses altogether too much.
Parents do not feel responsibility for
their children's moral and intellectual
training as they once did. The personal
influence of a teacher always counts for
more in a child's life than the subject
taught. Many business men seldom ever
see their children awake, and the aver
age successful ''plunger' in stocks scarce
ly knows his boys by sight, to say moth
ing of his ignorance of their companion
ship and habits.
Father If you have not had comrade-
ship with the son God gave YOU you are
a sinner, despite the fact that you be-
long to church and may have endowed
college. The glory Of a statesman's life
Is his domestic virtues. We have so long
quoted from Henry Lees eulogy on
Washington the first half of a famous sem
tence. VIC have forgotten the second half.
We say, First in war, first in peace and
first in the hearts of his countrymen."
but Lee added. land second to none in
the humble and endearing scenes of pri-
vate life
SECOND GREAT FACTOR.
Sccond--The second great factor in this
problem is the unsexing of woman. 1t
must be confessed that womans entrance
upon business life has played havoc with
home life. She comes in direct cOmpeti-
tion with men in business. Some time
ago a young lady in Philadelphia studied
at Temple college and secured "a position
at ST. per week. She was delighted. But
the man whose position she took. and
who had previously drawn $40 for the
same work, could not keep his engage
ment to marry his intended because the
$12 woman had his place
This false conception of woman's place
in society Is not the fault of college
training. Marriage is as frequent among
college graduates as other classes of
women. and they make better mothers,
better hOusekcepers and better hclpmates
as was ascertained by a careful invcsti-
cation by the president of Wellesley col
lege. Neither can it be blamed on lead
ers of moral reforms like Frances T..
Willard Her last address as president of
the Worlds Woman's Christian Temper
ance union shows that she was alive to
womanly virtues. Hear her:
II have learned how such solemn vicis-
situdes as come into the lives of women
only. help to conform your faith in the
world invisible
Tender little hand folded in prayer and
winsome voices saying:
Gentle Jesus. meek and mild
Look upon little child
have done more than all traditional re-
straints to keep your hearts loving and
unworldly.''
Whoever is responsible there is false
conception of woman's place in society
prevalent in our times and it Is eating
like canker worm into our home life
An American recently said to Kiplins:
I'm America we have u good many fe-
male doctors. female lawyers, female
teachers, female preachers, what we e'need
now is more female women"
God made man to embody. mental
and courage. and created woman
to display mental beauty and modestv.
You may discuss and wrangle, you may
with theological isms until
the end of the world. and these trite and
self-evident ideas will never be expelled
from the constitution of the human mind
encouraging the culture of that divine
beauty which Is the complement and
equal of womanhood's strength.
ANOTHER GREAT EVIL.
Third-Another evil which threatens
home life in America is the hand-to-
mouth way in which we live Home Is a
place into which we take few things
from the grocery store, prepare them,
eat them, sleep and hurry away Board
ing houses, tenement houses. all tend to
destroy that sense of home feeling which
was known in former days. A man will
fight and die for his home, but no man
dies for his boarding house.
Fourth-A conspicuous enemy of home
Is the saloon They call it "The poor
mans club" Where under Gods blue
sky Is the poor woman's club? A man
works eight hours and must have some
place where he can loaf drink, gamble
works sixteen and can SIT up nights nurs-
Ing the sick baby.
l arraign the saloon because ii takes |
a man from his home and family in a |
double and cruel sense. Oh for genera
ton of men who will have too much man
hood to hide their desire to drink behind |
any such silly excuse as poor mans |
clubs" meaning saloons. There is no class
of individuals who hold the future of
this nation in their grasp as do the moth |
ers of America. Political parties. organ
lied capital are not to be excepted. II is |
true that 1.-The hand that rocks the |
cradle is the hand that rules the world"
What have great men said about their |
debt to mother. Lincoln said "All that |
am owe to my angel mother" Ruskin |
said: "All that | have thought of art, |
that | have written, every |
greatness that there has been in any |
thought of mine, whatever have done in |
my life, has simply been due to the fact
that when was child my mother daily |
read with me part of the Bible, and |
made me learn part of 1t by heart"
There was never great man who had |
not a great mother. There is not and
"a bot be a great nation whose homes
ire not presided over by womanly women,
who train patriots at their knees. finest
altar man has ever found. and wno
throw over his life the light of their love,
choicest flower of mans earthly pilgrim