Milford chronicle., 1906-03-02
Caln1aqe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. D. D.

that gratitude and fidelity to friends
and to religious principles are essential
parts of the ideal character The text
is Ruth t. 16. "Whither thou goest
will go.
The mothers-n-law from time i'm
memorial have been an object the
eheap and coarse wits of the day have
never tired Of ridiculng. We do not
know why this is. but as soon as we
mention the name Of motherin-law al
most every ones face begins TO smile
as though he were expecting a Joke.
OF course some mothers do object TO
their sons and daughters marrying
But in ninety-nine cases out of Il hun
dred this objection is not based ON
selfish grounds. When the subtle life
companion for the boy comes along
inevitably the mother will say: My
son. l want to see you married to a
good wife. Helen is Il good girl am
glad you are going to wed her OF
course it is awfully hard for me to
give you up. You have always been
my baby. Your room has always been
fust off mine. Night after night l
would sit up waiting to hear your step
and TO have our little talk and feel the
good night kiss. That must all end
now. But, my boy, know it is for
your good to marry. Helen is a good
girl. Be good to her, my son, and re-
member, l will always love her as
daughter for your sake" Was not that
the way your mother did when you
started out in life? Was not that the
way your wifes mother did when she
gave her daughter to you at the mar
riage altar?
Then there is the charge that our
mothers-in-law are always meddling.
OF course some of them may. Mothers
in-law are no more perfect as a class
than we are perfect. But for one
have never looked upon mothers-in-law
as vicious meddlers. l have always
looked upon them as a great reserve
corps, ready to come to the worlds
help whenever they are needed. Look
back into your past life. Was your
mOther-in-law a vicious meddler? Did
she hang around your house until she
became a nuisance? Nay. She never
bothered you in that way. When that
awful sickness came into your house
she came as a ministering angel. Day
after day and night after night she
lowered about that sickrOOm. Don't
talk to me about mothers-in-law as
class being pests. They are the nOblest
and the most self sacrificing women
on earth. In the first place, they say
to the world: "Here is my son. Here
is my daughter. Take them. Let 9th
ers 20 and live with them and be first
On their affections" Then after these
mothers-in-law have effaced them
selves, when trouble heads toward our
homes, they are the first to come to our
rescue. All, that was a sad day in
your life when your mother-in-law
died. There would not have been the
difficulties which have since separated
you and your wife from her relatives
had your mother-in-law not been car
fied out to sleep among the flowers.
Perfect MOther-in-law.
: Well. all that a perfect mother-in-law
ought to be Naomi was. She had rear
ed two fine boys. She had given these
two sons as husbands to two young
maidens in the land of Moab. Then by
a strange series Of fatalities Naomi
not only lost her husband, but her two
sons. There were three widows alone
to face the struggle Of life. Naomi
said to the two girls: Il will go back
10 my own country. l hear that the
famine in the land of Judaea is over
I will 20 back there and live and strug-
gle on, but you two girls go back to
your mothers houses and marry new
husbands and all will be we'll" Orpah,
one of the girls, wept over her mother
ip-law. She kissed her and left. But
Ruth. the heroine Of my text, would
not do this. She came near to Naomi
and said, "Whither thou gOest, will
90, And she not only said this, but
She stayed by Naomfs side. Such is
the simple story of this perfect mother
in-law. Naomi, in her relationship to
this model daughter-in-law, Ruth. And
as we study this subject you will see
how Ruth, who became the ancestress
OF the Saviour, successfully met the
duties Of life in this the darkest hour
OF her earthly existence.
Not a miserable. contemplate, un'
grateful character was Ruth. She was
not one Of those deceitful women who
have smiles and affectiOnate words and
loving caresses only for those she is
using for a mercenary object. She
was not like the ungrateful elder
daughters Of King Lear, who had rap
furous terms Of endearment for theiT
father only while their parent sat upon
his throne. But she was one Of those
noble women who, if friend had beer
good and true to her, never forgot that
goodness. That friend might live in
palace or in a hut; she might be hon
ored or desplsed by the world; sh'
might be old or young, but Ruth woulC
love her and cling to her just the same
She had all the characteristics oi