Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-10-20
P1UPHEI'S CHAMBER
N ITS ISSUES.

Nowadays, the lament is heard. peo
pie build houses without guest cham
bers; they make no provision for rca
hospitality. thus leaving ~ of theil
lives one of the most enlarging and re.
inning Influences. In the old %testanlen,
idyl which is the basis of this Sunday
school lesson there figured largely /;
little room on the DOT of u home IN
Shunem, 1.-The prophets chamber con.
structed by the hospitable Shunammit
woman for the use of Elisha. who fire.
quently rested at her home on his jour.
neys. All the events that followed may
be traced to the generous impulse
which provided entertainments for this
itinerant man of God. The woman en-.
tertained an angel unawares.
True hospitality may be expressed
by Il crust, and it may be missing from
"a t%en-course dinner. The prophets
chamber, in its bare simplicity of a bed,
IA table. a bench and a candlestick is "A
reminder hat the grace of hospitality
may be displayed I'm simplest ways.
None Is too poor to share and to share,
rs best to serve. Every one who has
been often a guest would point to the
provision made for privacy by this
model hostess; Elisha had a room
apart, and was left to himself. not be-
30 ~ WItII entertainment.
A WORKERS REFUGE.
For every Jezebel there are many
Shunammite women The W. were
contemporaneous, but the latter was
more truly representative of her time
and OF all womanhood. The monstrous
JeZebel did not represent her sex; the
good wife of the rich farmer did. Her
impulses were generous. kindly, CON
siderate. Her mother heart. with no
balrn of its own. expressed its warmth
IN service to whomever she could help,
ana especially to the man of God. Thou
SANDS or preachers since have had oc-
casion to bless the Shunammite woman
n her successors. In ministering to
them she has served the Lord himself.
me woman who makes n home-not Il
boarding house, that worst ~travesty
upon the sacred institution of home
Tor young men is worthy of equal hon
or win those who cross the seas upon
the gospels mission.
What the refuge and comfort of the
llttle room which always awaited him
at Shunem meant to Elisha it is not
uillcult to Imagine. His days were
argei illed with travel from place to
place, from school to school. The com.
forts OF Il settled abode were denied
MN. as TO most of Gods knight er-
rahtry. How weary he grew in it
'AiVit TIC HclDcu never guessed.
one OF the most famous and useful
men In Christian service in our day.
a man upon whom words thousands
hang, safd to me not long ago. "Oh. /
grow so tired of this constant speaking.
speaking all the time.'' and there was
a note OF unutterable WEAKNESS in his
voice. such as would never have been
Imagined by the thousand picked lead
ers OF men whom he had hat day
thrilled and fired as I have seldom
seen an audience moved. Blessed are
who like the Shunammite wom-
heip the helpers of men.
HoSPITALiTY'S REWARD.
what can l do for your" asked the
g Sateful Elisha, touched by the com
lort which this mother in Israel pro-
vided for him. Could he speak for
ner to the king or to the captain of the
most? Il dwell among my own people"
was the beautifully simple reply, sug-
a comfort and a peace which
were far removed from the hurly-burlv
OF the u~nsympathetic city. Happy are
those whose quiet lives are cast among
their own people.
Yet the woman had a desire. n de-
sire which lay too deep for words. 1t
was the family sorrow, spoken of only
at the most sacred moments between
their consciousness. They had no
child. Only a childless with
normal instincts, not the perverted
sentiment. too common in this dav
which looks upon children as a burden
be escaped-can understand how
deep and real was this grief. No wom-
achieves the highest possible des-
tiny and JOY Of womanhood until she
presses her W child to her bosom.
The Old Testament, with its broad
strong lines of philosophy, caches a
ruth for these times in laying stress
upon the doctrine that children are a
blessing from the Lord. and one Of the
rewards Of life.
Little did the Shunammite woman
dream. when she obeyed the generous
Impulse to provide rest and refresh
would be the fulfillment
pf her dearest dream and desire. Yet,
It was; every good Intention carried
out bears precious fruit. The prophet
promised her a son. who in due time
came to bless the home; and fortunate
child born to such a mother, in
luch q home.
BETWEEN WHlLEs.
Thv unrecorded years are always
Between the birth Of the
ION 20 the home in 9hunem. and the
this study. a considerable period Of
time elapsed. We are tempted to peep
into the home then and see its happi-
peerless experience when the
child was q babe In his mothers arms.
md when parental JOY 10 keenest. every
sml!e 4 gurgle OF the infant, every
triflng baby achievement, being a dis
linct occasion Of happiness and pride:
the growth Of the boy into strength
md grace n g~entleness: the morn.
|n8 and evening romps Of father and
lon; the recurring Visits OF the prophet.
With their ministrations OF comfort and
and instruction to the fam.
~; he friendship which grew up be.
LWeem the boy ana man OF God; the
leuere busy. varied eervice-all this.
md much more. we know was in those
lu!et years Of which no word q
written.
They were nevertheless great and
formative years. The humdrum has M
In life ~ truly a. the epochai.
rhe wise never despise the common
Of b present. The person 5of
5eet vision psrceives the greatness Of
E0dAy.
my hGADlr NY HeAplr
Tho prt0e .of the father ana mother
md eon when the boy sWaa old enoueh1
q ~ into the neld 70 visit HE fofher
non the reapero every parent can
But one sday-how lf6ssa
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