Evening journal., 1916-02-03


mother nature. Suffer the little
children to come unto Me. and forbid
them not, for such is the kingdom of
heaven"
This mother instinct of protecting
their offspring, providing shelter and
nourishment is universal throughout
all the animal creation. Jesus reveal
ed this spirit Of mother heart when
he stood on the hill top overlooking
Jerusalem, and wept in sorrow for
the sin of the stricken city. Hear
Him as He exclaims, "Oh, Jerusa-
lem, Oh Jerusalem! how often have I
gathered thee beneath my wings, as a
hen would her brood, at night. and
you would mott" Can you not see re-
vealed here the mother spirit reaching
its climax. When Jesus went the
blood drops in Gethsemane His heart
breaking in anguish on account of the
indifference and carelessnessN Of sin
ful men, we see multiplied by infn-
ity the mother sympathy that grieves
and yearns over the wayward child.
/ Mrs. Ballington Booth tells of a
company of good women. where GUS
tom was to go down every Sabbath
afternoon into the Hartford Jail, to
hold a service of song for the prison
ers. Among the good sisters Of char
ity one day was a strange lady, who
had heard of the service, and had
asked permission to accompany them.
One by one the prisoners came into
d the room and took their seats. The
leader arose and gave out the hymn,
"Just AS I Am, Without One Plea"
They had begun the second stanza,
when suddenly the visitor turned pale
and tainted. Taken out into the vesti-
bule she revived. and later was
brought to the hotel. On being asked
the cause OF the swoon, she replied. L
saw my boy; he has been away from
home for five years, and we thought
he was out west" Some one has
opinioned that the widows son laid
under the turf was the saddest sight
in life. But. oh. not SOL not so!
Closely allied to these other ele-
ments Of the mother nature is the
spirit of devotion that manifests
itself in sacrifice and self denial
and suffering. II the resurrection Of
Jesus reveals His omnipotence, the
crucifixion expresses His devotion.
When a mother goes down to the
brink Of the grave to bring to birth
her child imperiling her live for her
offspring. she typihes the spirit of
Jesus on Calvary. He tasted death
for every man.
They told me out on the Pacific
Coast a touching story about the sal
mon fish. After three years out in
the ocean the mother fish returns and
swims up the same inlet from whence
she was born and there. near the
edge Of the stream, she deposits her
eggs and then dies. When ! heard
this wondered If there could even be
in these lower forms Of life any rea-
lization as the mother fish came back
upon their mission, what was waiting
them.
A drunken husband. so the story
, is told. came home one midnight, with
, his brain infiamed by drink. On
, the bed with her young babe, still
weak from childbirth. lay his " lg
: WIFE He began upbraiding her for
= what he said was her laziness for ly-
) ing there so long. He thrust her out
= Of doors into the cold winter night
- and barred the door, and he himself
4 lay down on the bed in a drunken
f., stupor The next morning they found
e the young mother lying on the door
' step. frozen to death. She had taken
! all her scanty clothing to wrap il
2 around the babe. Here is a picture OF
{ mother love and sacifice and devotion
2 II gives a glimpse of Jesus as He ex-
] claims, Not My will, but Thine be
! done"
D We are now led. in conclusion. af-
! ter contemplating the mother spirit Of
: God to inquire what response are We
/ personally to make to this appeal
These qualities in the divine life
/ ought to inspire our faith. We have
e not a great high priest who cannot
p be touched by our infrmities, there
r fore, let us come boldly to the throne
d OF grace, that we may find help in
e time OF need. Just as the mother is
4 more anxious for the welfare OF hel
e child than the child can possibly
d be in itself, so God is more interested
in you to bring help and healing anC
y holiness. This mother element in tn,
i nature Of God revealing unboundeC
r affection ought to awaken in ou,
e hearts a love and respect We Low,
Him because He first loved us. NJ
4 matter who you are. how deep you
e doubt how hardened your heart. i
y you will but continue to repeat tha
: great fact, "God loves me. God love-
e me-" it will touch a responsive chort
a in your nature and awaken an af
t. fection in return.
a The following is a sketch OF a littl'
d ragged newsboy. who had lost hi
It mother. In the tenderness Of his at
z fection for her, he was determined
s that he would raise stone to hel
memory. His mother and he ha,
Ie kept house together, and they hai
st been all to each other. but now sh,
ID was taken and the little fellows los
d was irreparable. Getting a stone wa
r no easy task, for his earnings wer
If small; but love is strong Going to
l. cutters yard. and finding that evel
le the cheaper class OF stones were to-
a expensive for him. he at length fixel
ut upon a broken shaft of marble, par
re OF the remains of an accident in tn
t yard. The proprietor had kindl
er named it at such a low figure that i
N came within his means. There wa
DR. much yet to be done. but the brav