Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-09-30


are lined up between. with the two
places OF honor next 10 the mother re.
served for the two youngest In the
family.
No: there Is not one missing. As you
look about the long table at your Sun
day dinner today you will find them all
there Many day has passed since
the first day OF last July that you
would have given n good deal to have
the whole family about you. as you
have this Sabbath morning. In the
first place. no sooner did the schools
close last summer than the children
went everywhither. One OF your boys
went camping. one Of your daughters
went 10 visit school friend In the
east or on the ranch. your wife had to
take the sick child down to the sea-
shore. you MS the husband and father
were away for some time on business
trip. and when you returned you had
to spend most of your time In the city.
You snatchcd your Sundays off and
few days here and there to go to the
country. but for the most part you
were alone. Now the family is reunit-
ed. Schools have opened. The boys
and girls have to come back to their
books. The many dangers Of travel
are past. Say what you will. you wor-
ried a great deal about that boy OF
yours using that gun. Yes: you are all
home again. safe and well. Thank God
today for your reunited families!
"Amen! Amen." can hear from doz-
ems OF grateful lips as n great climax
to this domestic thanksgiving.
Thanks For Reunited Families.
Then. again. want you to thank
God that you have returned to the
work Of the store. or the factory or the
office. Let me see: how long were you
out In the country? Two weeks? Three
weeks? Ten days? Oh. 1t does not
matter much how long. know one
away long enough to know that the
hardest work strong. healthy man
ever has to do is to learn how to do
nothing. When you left the city some
months ago you went of In high hopes.
"Nothing to do: nothing to do" was
your congratulatory cry. The first
night you went to bed In the country
you said to yourself: Now I am going
to stay In bed just as long as wish.
am not going TO get up until II
o'clock II I do not desire" Did you
stay in bed until II o'clock? oh. no.
You arose mt your regular time. Old
habits cannot he broken in day.
Then after n few fishing trips and a
few mountain climbs you began to
grow restless. You wanted TO get back
TO work Then. IL mistake not, II has
been your good fortune during this va
cation TO be thrown with few chron-
ically unhappy men-unhappy because
they have nothing to do. Perhaps on
account OF inherited wealth or from
the fact that they have made money
they retired from business to have Il
good time What miserable mistake
they have made. Instead Of being hap
by with nothing TO do. you have found
that they are the most unhappy of
men. They spend most Of their time In
playing nurscgirl or picking up pins
or I'm finding fault with their children
or In making the lives OF their wives
as miserable as their own. The simple
fact IL full blooded man like you has
no business loafing around the house
with nothing to do. II you loiter about
the house thus you will degenerate into
nothing but first class ''fusser" and
genuine masculine nuisance. You
know that you never felt happier than
when you boarded the street car the
other day and started for the store. In
my time | have met hundreds Of
healthy men who had retired from
business because they had amassed q
competency. never envied one OF
them. have always thanked God.
first. that he has given me health: Sec
ondiy. that he has compelled me TO
work. Thank God today that you have
been able to east off the inactivities OF
vacation and have been compelled to
go back to the daily treadmills Of man
ual and mental toll. The financial
struggles OF life not only earn bread
for our children. hut also unlimited
Joys for our own healthful physical
and mental existence.
Welcome Back 60 Church.
But as l welcome you back to the
store and TO the domestic firesides
and TO your reunited families l also
welcome you back to your church home
and TO your family pew. l welcome
you home 20 the household Of faith"
l welcome You home to Gods temple.
where you can worship God better and
more simply and deyotedly than In any
other church In all this round planet.
! welcome you back from this pulpit
and 20 this altar.
What do I mean by making such a
statement as thisi You may have sat
in finer churches than your own while
you have been away: you may have
heard more eloquent preachers than
your own: you may have had your
souls lifted by grander music. more
exquisitely rendered. than you hear In
your own church. but has that given
you distaste for the home servicesf
Oh. no. As the best place for man
TO grow and live I'm domestic sense