Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-11-07

BY Kew.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Ptrk Presby.
terian Church. Chicago
Chicago, Nov. 1.-The consolation anu
encouragement that religion affords IN
the sorrowful and distressing lot or
widowhood are pointed out by the
preacher in this sermon on the text
Luke vii, II, "And she was widow"
The rich widow! Who ever heard OF
such q title for sermon on this textI
Better call her "the poor widow" tine
friendless widow" "the hopeless wild
ow," "the dying widow"-anything but
"the rich widow" This funeral process
sion winding It's way out of the Syrian
city is one of the most pathetic spec
tacles of the gospel history. How much
heartbreak is contained in those three
phrases. "A dead man, the only son or
his mother, and she was widow In
Arizona Is a mountain aptly named
starvation peak" There the Indians
many decades ago drove the Spaniards
and hemmed them in and kept them
until for the want of food the little
band of living men were changed into
band of decomposing corpses. SO this
text is one of the starvation peaks
among the gospel hills. 1t Is the place
where a wife first lost her husband, her
breadwinner. Then it Is the place
where, during the struggle of widow
hood, the mother had raised her boy so
that he could be her support in her de-
clining years. And now wife wltnout
her husband and mother with only a
cold body for her son is slowly wend-
ing her way to the cemetery. She was
a wife and mother only of the grave.
"The rich widowT Nonsense! Change
the title. Call it "the poor widow OF
Starvation peak"
A Fitting Title.
No, my brother, | want to keep the
title | have chosen. | want TO snow
how even d woman so desOate as the
one in the text may find consolation IL
life and in the performance of heT
duty and in the sympathy OF humanity
and. more than all. in the resources OF
divine power her life may become rlcl
for herself and for others. have seeI
too many adjectives hitched to this
heroic and conquering nominauve.
believe thousands and tens OF thou
sands of mothers who have been beref
of the companion who once stood witt
them at the marriage altar have at
tained tue and abiding wealth. Thel
have been rich in all that makes III
truly happy, great and good; rich II
their opportunities to do double serv
ice ia life. To their children they hav'
become father as we'll as mother; ricl
in their inspiring examples OF dutie
well done; rich In the faitn VIII
which their trials led them to test tn
goodness and greatness Of God; rlcl
in the heights and depths and length
and breadths of their love, and, aboy
all. rich in eternal as well as tempora
rewards. 1t is in order to gather fev
"bluebells" from off the graves or tn
dead husbands and fathers that
preach this sermon. | would rim
these floral trophies in a great p@an o
praise that the widows, the numberles
widows of the present day, who ar
facing the battle Of life alone, mign
renew their strength and go on VIII
J ming victory after victory for then
selves, their little ones and for Christ.
The widow is rich in her opportun
ties of maternal usefulness; rich b'
cause all the physical, mental and spi
, itual resources of her nature are d'
yeloped in the struggle which her lon'
Illness involves; rich because for ht
children every word she speaks an
every thought she thinks and ever
deed she performs shall bring fort
its maximum Of results for good
evil. For her offspring every mountal
which she has to climb can become
gold mine. and every thicket into whic
J. she has to plunge bank of roses, an
Y Y every shower of tears can return as
8. tossing. tumbling fountain, and evel
y land for her can become harvest fie
of yellow grain or Of white checke
sweet scented clover tops. LITERAL
y, by taking away wife's husband G'
makes it possible for a widow Wi
children to make more out Of her lif
in q maternal sense, than in any 9th
way. At once, by the mere fact
y widowhood, she becomes the fatht
, the mother, the breadwlnner, the gull
and the all in all for her offspring
Honored by God.
Now. every one should want to ma
the most out of his life. Therefor
o widow, ought you not feel honor
because God has singled you out
one of his favorite daughters for gre
and vital work? We stand upon Lit
Round Top, on the battlefield OF u
tysburg, and look with pride at [
monument erected there to the memo
of Major General Gouverneur Ware
At that critical point he saved the Ft
eral lines from being cut In twain
the Confederate forces. With the ke
eye of a military engineer he saw II
Little Round Top was the one 81
about which the mortal struggle OF L
and Meade must be finally decide
And so, upon his own authority, he
D., trenched those heights and perha
then and there saved the unity of
republic, which now stretches from
a. to sea. Shall you not feel today,
widow, that as General Warren W
chosen to stand on Little Round 1
o.. and save the Federal government
God has placed you on the little rou
top of your husbands grave to So
=. your home? A few years ago
y limited States-north, east, south q
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