Milford chronicle., 1903-11-06
TAL,NGAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK De WITT TALA3AGE. D.D.,
Faster Of Jssisrssn Pazs Prssby-
ter5An Church. ehlsaGo

the sorrowful and distes ing lot Of
widowhood are pointed out by the
preacher in this serul, on the text
Luke vii, II. And she was widow"
The rich widow! Who ever heard of
such a title for a sermon o1 this text?
Better call her "the poor idow, "the
friendless widow" '1iH 4opai-'s yiG-
ow," 't4e L.. Ing $50 an. a. but
"the ricl dow. ne OC
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 Of
his mother, and she was widow" In
Arizona is 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
a band Of decomposing corpscs. So this
text is one of the Starvation peaks"
among the gospel hills. II is the place
where wife first lost her husband, her
OlEuu W AlALNls j LtlA IL - Tx pltANE
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 a wife without
her husband and a mother with only a
cold body for her son is slowly wend-
ing her way to the cemetery. She was
q wife and mother only of the grave.
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 show
how even woman so desolate as the
one in the text may find consolation in
life and in the performance of her
duty and in the sympathy of humanity, !
and. more than all. in the resources Of
divine power her life may become rich |
for herself and for others. have seen |
too many adjectives hitched to this /
heroic and conquering nominative. | /
believe thousands and tens of thou |
sands of mothers who have been bereft /
of the companion who once stood with |
them at the marriage altar have at /
tanned true and abiding wealth. They |
have been rich in all that makes life .
truly happy, great and good; rich in .
their opportunities to do double serv-
ice in life. To their children they have
become father as well as mother; rich
in their inspiring examples of duties
well done; rich in the faith with
which their trials led them to test the
goodness and greatness Of God; rich
in the heights and depths and lengths
and breadths Of their love. and. above
all. rich in eternal as well as temporal
rewards. 1t is in order to gather few
"bluebeIls" from off the graves Of the
dead husbands and fathers that |
preach this sermon. | would ring
these floral trophies in great pecan Of
praise that the widows, the numberless
widows Of the present day. who are
facing the battle Of life alone. might
Eenew their strength and 90 on win
ming victory after victory for them.
selves. their little ones and for Christ.
The widow Is rich in her opportuni
ties of maternal usefulness; rich be
cause all the e'physicnl. mental and spir
itual resources of her nature are de
velopcd in the struggle which her lone
liness involves; rich because for heI
children every word she speaks and
every thought she thinks and every
deed she performs shall bring forth
its maximum of results for good or
evil. For her offspring every mountain
which she has to climb can become q
gold mine. and every thicket into which
she has to plunge a bank of roses. and
every shower of tears can return as a
tossing. tumbling fountain, and every
land for her can become harvest field
Of yellow grain or of white checked,
s weet scented clover tops Literally,
by ta ding away a wife's husband. God
makes 1t possible for a widow with
to make more out Of her life,
Ia a maternal sense. than in any other
way. At once by the mere fact Of
she becomes the father,
The mother. the breadwinner the guide
and the all in all for her offspring.
HOnOred by God.
Now, every one should want to make
The most out Of his life. Therefore,
D widow. ought you not feel honored
because God has singled you out as
)ne Of his favorite daughters for great
md vital work? We stand upon Little
Round Top, on the battlefield of Get
ysburg, and look with pride at the
erected there to the memory
# Major General Gouyerneur Warren
1t that critical point lie saved the Fed.
raj lines from being cut in twain by
he Confederate forces. With the keen
,ye of military engineer he saw that
little Round Top was the one spo'
bout which the mortal struggle Of lie,
md Meade must be finally decided. I
And so, upon his own authority. he in I
renched tIose heights and perhaps q
hen and there saved the unity Of our r.
epublic, which now stretches from sea S
o sea. Sail you not feel today. 0 {
ridow. that as General Warren was
hosen to stand en- Little Round Top t
nd save the Federal government so !