Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-12-12
Conservation of the American, Home
A TEMPERANCE SERMON
BY Dr.. John w. Wadman.

There may be seen here and there
hanging in some conspicuous place o:
the American homes OF the working
class a picture representing room
Of an ordinary house. the walls 81
hitch are not adorned with oil paint
inSs and steel enSravings, hut with
clippings from papers and current
magazines pasted here and there in
unartistic display The furniture
consists OF stove, table, bed, a
clock, a lamp. a crib imprOvised by
two chairs set emo TO end upon which
lies an infant child, the beloved first
born, its little white hands tossing
restlessly in the grip of a raging fe-
yer. while the white haired family doe
tor sits by its side thoughtfully. ST.
lently. anXiously watching the prog
ress Of the disease and ever and anon
tenderly noting the beating pulse in
the tiny wrist.
A young sorrowful mother sits on
the opposite side of the child's bed,
her white face buried in her trembling
hands, her whole frame shaking in an
agony OF suppressed grief and over
her shoulder leans stalwart, sun
Drowned husband and father with hts
bright blue eyes bent in anxious gaze
upon the doctors face. The simple
little picture is entitled Anxious Mo
| ments."
There Hes on my table as now
write, letter from a mother in east
nh hnu 10
relation of the writer, man in mid
| die life, the proud father Of two boys
| Just grown to manhood, and one
charming daughter. They are farm
ers. The picture of their home comes
up wildly in the writer's mind. 1t Il
not a mansion on a city's broad ave
nue., nor a log cabin in the back
woods. 1t is type. There are thou
sands, yea tens Of thousands of homes
just like 1t all over Canada from whose
hearths $4,000 or more beloved sons
have recently gone forth to the Euro
pean war in defense of home and ma
| tive land.
The house is comfortable one. II
sits back quite distance from the
Queens highway. A green lane, lined
with tall shade trees leads UP to its
hospitabIe and coy shelter with gar
den and orchard in the rear and large
| welEfIlled barns and other outhouses
/ a little to the right. Canadian farm
ers, like American, are not usually
rich, but independently well off. They
form the great, intelligent, thrifty, re
liable backbone of citizenbhip and
their homes are the pillars of our ma
tional life and prosperity.
The mother writes:
| Our government has appointed q
commission Of enquiry regarding vol
unteers or recruits for the terrible
war AS you know, thousands Of oui
boys-the flower Of the land-haye
ers are preparing to go. George, ouI
eldest, is now %, and Vernon 81. You
know what we have endeavored tt
do in order to make our home what Il
is today. We love God. We honor
Him at the family altar. We have
trained our dear children in the faith
of the fathers. They have known
nought else save loyalty to Christ al
: their Master, whom they all love al
! their Savior. too. 1t was a month
ago last Wednesday, while the father
and his two boys were. ploughing and
fencing field, that the government
officers called. invited them in and
when seated served them with tea
whereupon one Of them addressed me
and said: Madam, we have called tc
learn whether you and your husband
can spare at least one OF your sons
for the defense of our nation. We are
all in danger, as you know, and we
want your answer just now"
Turning my face in an opposite
direction in order to hide if possible
the signs which must have shown
as a mother, called to pass, a struggle
through which was then and there
as a mother called to pass, struggle
only known to those who have ones