Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1905-11-13
Calnnase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Prank De Witt Talmaee. d. d.


should feel for the self sacrifice of
mothers, sisters and wives. The text is
Mark xiv, 8, "She hath done what she
could"
Some people are like the Dead sea
submerging the "cities of the plain"
They have no outlets. They would
make all the streams Of the surround
ing hillsides tributaries to their reser-
voirs. They would gather into their
depths the waters from the fountains
beneath and from the showers over
head. But, though they take In every
thing they can, they never have any
outhowings. They would never give
anything to anybody else unless they
were compelled SO to do. Their hands
are IKE steel traps. They keep the
palms open only as long as they have
nothing on them. But as soon as any
thing touches their skin their open
palms fly shut and every finger be-
comes a wise and every muscle as rig
Id as q band of steel. Their doctrine is,
what is yours ought to be mine and
what is mine is my own" Truly they
appetites are omniyorous. But, like
great stagnant pools, they become
stenchful through their immobility.
Their love Of other people is completely
circumscribed by their love of self.
Selfish love has even a more con-
temptible characteristic than a mere
brutal love for self. As a rule, selfish
men consider it a personal reflection on
themselves If other people are not just
as mean and selfish as they are. When
any one makes a sacrifice for another
they give themselves to fault finding,
are always complaining and always
trying to depreciate the good which
that person has tried to do. If man
like Andrew Carnegie endows a libra
ry they raise a protesting voice and
cry, saving: What is the good of civ.
ing pile of books to a lot of work
men swho never read? Why does he
not give them a loaf of bread instead
of a printed pager" If a philanthro-
pist offers to give a loaf of bread every
Midnight to every person who comes
for it they say: ''What is the good of
Feeding a lot of dirty tramps and dead
beats? These men ought to be made
to work as l have to work." Thus
wherever we turn we find some men,
and, alas, they are many, with these
two miserable characteristics. They
refuse to do anything for any one else,
and they find fault with all those who
are trying to do what these selfish men
ought to do.
Some of these carping, selfish, fault
finding critics were in the home of 81
mon the leper in the time of Christ, as
they are in the homes of our modern
Bethanys They never give a cent to
any one if they can help it, and they
hate to see any one else give away a
cent. Thus when the woman of my
text. to show her love for Christ, en-
tered the dining hall and broke an
alabaster box and poured the ONT
ment of spikenard very precious upon
Christ's head they commenced to COM
plain. absurd, absurdw they cried.
''That ointment could have been sold
for 800 pence and given to the poor.
Why all this waste?" Then said Jesus;
'sLet her alone She hath wrought a
good work on me, for ye have the poor
with you always, and whatsoever yt
will We may do them good, but me W
have not always" Then Christ utter
ed the words of my text, "She hiatt
done what she could" That means t
the very best of her power she ha'
shown her true love for Jesus Christ.
Noble. Sacrifice.
Genuine and significant must hav
been the act of this woman of my tex
to have brought forth such an encomi
um from the Saviour's lips. But
Jesus. the only being who has had
woman break over his head an ala
baster box Of ointment of spikenar
very precious: Have not some of U
been surrounded in our babyhood, i
our boyhood, in ur young manhood
in our middle age aud old age, by jus
such noble self sacrificing women, VIII
have for us literally done what the
could? Eyes. Yes, Amost of us ca
answer. I'VE have. \ We have"
would like to call 20 recollection som
of our obligations, ONE Of the service
that we have received from devote
women, who W1ulu nave laid dow
their lives if it hal BEEN. I'd
our welfare. Thy literally did al
tbev could to brinS Us to lur trues
and fullest mental and pfFlcal ant
spiritual Development Ia
Where shall we begin t9nY ales'
female characters, who
for us their alabaster box ~ u
of spikenard very precious $3.50
we start with that sw9 w. --s
novel, - ths dim objection of
30 DaeA y -aroanata- lat moths as
cniiunoou She va sathsr cleahg
Always ouS' he hds. orto-
ing out to market, o. Dus w;tb Fl
needle at big baskf n nc
weeks clean washins sbekas a.
member her asleep u car ~ j
IN bed under the d,ctors CO Of y
ls.s we crawled snder Der sers
~ s.rly morning when wsswO
-, A~eaming Dau can