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hstonethoug#jjosgoiala      ,,the       
,,hearth-,,stone3  ,thoughts upon       
,home-,life in ,our ,cities4  by        
,,samuel ,,osgood1  ,author of ,studies 
in ,christian ,biography1 ,god with     
,men1 or ,footprints of ,providential   
,leaders1 ,c4         ,this is the      
famous stone         ,that turneth all  
to gold3   ,for that which ,god doth    
touch and own         ,cannot for less  
be told4                                
,,george ,,herbert4        ,new-,york3  
,d4 ,appleton and ,company1 #bjj        
,broadway4 ,london3 #aj ,little         
,britain4 #ahed4  ,entered according to 
,act of ,congress1 in the year #aheh by 
,d4 ,appleton ,and ,company1 ,in the    
,clerk's ,office of the ,district ,court
 for the ,southern ,district of         
,new-,york4      ,,preface4   ,these    
thoughts are published for the same     

reason that led the author from time to 
time to put them upon paper1--a wish to 
meet a want in the sphere of the        
affections rather than to claim any     
honor in the kingdom of ideas4 ,wherever
 important questions have been at issue 
he has not avoided them1 however        
conspicuous or controverted2 but the    
volume aims to breathe a kindly spirit  
above the reach of sect and party4 ,he  
is not ashamed to have his style show   
something of the habit of his           
profession1 and to use1 in part1 ideas  
that he has expressed in the lyceum and 
the pulpit in a different form4  ,it    
will be seen that the several subjects  
connect themselves more or less closely 
with a year's life in the household1 and
 that the light which cheers the whole  
twelvemonth is kindled on the           
hearth-stone at ,christmas and ,new     
,year4  ,the state of things in our     
,american cities is now so peculiar1 so 
marked by privilege and peril1 that no  
earnest plea for home affections and    

virtues can be wholly thrown away4 ,to  
dedicate books to conspicuous names is a
 custom now almost obsolete1 and if the 
,author were to venture upon any        
dedication of this little volume it     
would read somewhat thus3--    ,,to     
,,those ,,who ,,have ,,ever ,,loved     
,,home1   ,,and ,,who ,,wish ,,to ,,love
 ,,it ,,always4  ,,new-,,york1 ,oct4    
#bb1 #ahec4     ,,contents4             
,page    ,,home ,,views ,,of ,,american 
,,life        #g    ,,the ,,ideal ,,of  
,,womanhood            #bg    ,,the     
,,hope ,,of ,,childhood             #de 
,,new ,,things                          
#fc    ,,solicitude ,,of ,,parents      
#gi    ,,reverence ,,in ,,children      
#ia    ,,brothers ,,and ,,sisters       
#aje    ,,marriage                      
#aai    ,,our ,,friends                 
#ace    ,,master ,,and ,,servant        
#aea    ,,the ,,divine ,,guest          
#afg    ,,the ,,orphan                  
#ahc    ,,the ,,young ,,prodigal        
#aii    ,,education ,,of ,,daughters    

#bac    ,,business ,,and ,,the ,,heart  
#bcc    ,,summer ,,in ,,the ,,country   
#bdi    ,,returning ,,home              
#bfe    ,,the ,,church ,,in ,,the       
,,house          #bgg     ,home ,views  
of ,american ,life4     ,,home ,,views  
,,of ,,american ,,life4   ,what day of  
all the year gives an ,american a       
happier sense of his civil and domestic 
blessings1 than the old feast of the    
ingathering--the time-hallowed          
,thanksgiving8 ,once more it has come   
round2 and our pen is disposed to catch 
a little of its genial temper before the
 hearth-stone4  ,this is peculiarly the 
home festival of our people1 and        
throughout all the ,states of our       
republic it is affectionately cherished4
 ,as such1 resting upon a good old      
precedent1 it appeals to a permanent    
want1 and gains interest with years4    
,the character of the day has somewhat  
changed1 and the domestic element in its
 uses preponderates far over the        
ecclesiastical4 ,yet much of the old    

feeling remains1 and thousands gather in
 the churches1 all the better prepared  
by the hour of worship1 for the hours of
 fireside enjoyment4 ,large scope is    
usually given the preacher at this time1
 and many a timid man ventures upon bold
 themes1 quite free to take the         
political1 or social1 or philanthropic1 
or ecclesiastical view of the country or
 the world1 as he may choose4 ,the      
preacher may not complain1 then1 of the 
essayist for taking something of the    
same liberty1 and trenching a little    
upon the prerogative of the pulpit4 ,it 
is surely not amiss to open this series 
of discursive papers with some thoughts 
upon our home blessings1 upon ,god's    
hand in giving them1 and our work in    
spreading them4  ,our home blessings6   
,take first the most obvious view of    
them4 ,consider the plenty that abounds4
 ,i speak not of the few affluent1 but  
of the great majority who enjoy the     
common lot4 ,what abundance in their    
homes6 ,look at the household of any    

unpretending citizen1 and say what realm
 of earth1 what domain of nature1 does  
not send its treasures thither8 ,the    
orchards1 the fields1 the pastures1 the 
hills1 the rivers1 the mines1 the       
oceans1 bring their tribute to the      
fireside4 ,from the shores of the       
,mediterranean come the olive1 the      
grape1 the orange1 the fig1 the date4   
,the farther ,indies send their fragrant
 herbs and sweet spices4 ,the repast of 
a frugal family is rarely set forth     
without offerings from all quarters of  
the globe4 ,the cottager's lamp1 that   
burns by night1 is fed with oil from the
 ,arctic zone4 ,the light of day shines 
through clear crystal1 that shows the   
perfection of the arts1 and the         
cheapness of their most beautiful       
products4 ,in humble abodes the wonders 
of manufacture appear4 ,rich cotton     
stuffs tell of the affluence of the     
,southern soil and the skill of the     
,northern artisan4 ,luxuries1 of old the
 prerogative of princes1 are now        

familiar things4 ,the silks of ,france  
and ,italy are worn by the wife and     
daughters of the farmer and the         
mechanic4 ,i will not try to describe   
the mansions of the wealthy1 although   
these1 when graced by refinement1 and   
exalted by piety and charity1 may give  
impressive views of the ample bounty of 
,providence4 ,it is better to           
contemplate the plenty within reach of  
the common lot4 ,among what people1 in  
what age1 has the common lot been so    
favored as with us8 ,when in the earth's
 history have so many persons had reason
 to be grateful at the feast of the     
ingathering as now8 ,we boast not of    
great banquets1 in which the luxury of  
the few is wrung from the misery of the 
many4 ,we speak not of pearls dissolved 
in the wine cup1 and the price of cities
 thus quaffed at a draught4 ,our        
country1 prouder than the empire of a   
,caligula1 or a ,cleopatra1 can point to
 the households of her people1 and in   
the amount of their combined blessings  

pity the poverty of the builders of the 
,coliseum or the ,pyramids4 ,other lands
 may have prouder palaces and more      
princely fortunes4 ,none can show so    
many favored homes4 ,go to thy home1 and
 tell how great things the ,lord1 the   
giver of the harvests1 hath done for    
thee in its plenty4  ,consider too its  
peace as well as its plenty4 ,no wars   
disturb it1 nor rumors of war4 ,no civil
 strifes threaten its tranquillity4 ,no 
tyrannical powers intrude upon its      
freedom4 ,every household is better     
guarded than any feudal castle4 ,equal  
laws make it more impregnable than walls
 or moats4 ,public opinion is a host of 
defence stronger than an army with      
banners4 ,we do not indeed forget our   
own imperfections and failings4 ,we do  
not forget that millions are in bondage 
in our land1 and that if they have homes
 in favored cases1 they have them by    
their owners' mercy1 not by their own   
legal right4 ,yet to-day the slave is   
somewhat a sharer in his master's       

bounty1 and this feast1 that carries our
 thoughts back to the time of the great 
,hebrew ,exodus1 allows us to enjoy the 
liberty that ,god has bestowed upon us  
and these free ,states1 and forbids us  
to despair of the redemption of any of  
the races yet held in bondage4 ,it is   
something to boast of1 that slavery is  
the exception now among civilized       
nations1 instead of being1 as of old1   
the universal law for the weaker from   
the stronger4 ,for ourselves1 we        
disclaim all share in its origin and    
continuance1 deeming it to be a local   
misfortune to be deplored1 not a        
national institution to be honored4  ,as
 a nation1 we are lovers of equal law4  
,the sober thought1 nurtured by the best
 experience of the ,atlantic ,states1   
finds its response in the new regions of
 the farthest ,west1 and not even the   
mad thirst for gold has made the        
restless people on our ,pacific coast   
forgetful of their birthright of liberty
 and law4 ,a mighty habit of civil order

 has entered into our national life4    
,the strongholds of order are in our    
homes4 ,there each man finds the motive 
that leads him to resist alike the      
disorganizer and the invader4 ,thence we
 derive the assurance of the best of    
standing armies2 for men that have      
households to defend1 will be as little 
inclined to yield to hostile invasion as
 to destructive revolution4 ,how        
peaceful our homes6 ,as mighty is the   
power nurtured within them that makes   
them so4  ,go home1 and in addition to  
the blessings of plenty and of peace1   
consider the means of intellectual and  
spiritual culture there4 ,the laboring  
man may own a better library than a     
prince or prelate of the olden time4    
,for a pittance trifling even to him1 he
 may have tidings daily from all        
quarters of his own country1 and from   
foreign lands4 ,his children bring with 
them more learning from the common      
school1 than would have sufficed of old 
to constitute the wisdom of a sage4 ,for

 a less sum than the tippler gives for  
the draught that fevers his blood and   
crazes his brain1 the artisan may adorn 
his house with choice works of art1     
through the cheap and beautiful products
 of the engraver's skill2 and thus the  
beautiful from the hand of man and of   
,god1 may refine and cheer the common   
lot4 ,music1 that voice of the beautiful
 arts1 is becoming a familiar blessing1 
and a part of ordinary education4       
,groups of children by the fireside1 and
 in the field and garden1 sometimes at  
the corners of the streets or in their  
walk home from school1 are heard singing
 their songs and hymns together1 thus   
exchanging discord for peace1 quarrels  
for harmony4 ,even the utilities that   
are becoming the custom of our time1    
have their refining and exalting        
influences4 ,the light that streams up  
in our streets and houses1 is the       
handmaid of a light brighter than its   
own4 ,the pure water that gushes up in  
so many homes1 has connections far more 

substantial than fanciful with the      
living water of the divine word4 ,facts 
enough show that human civilization     
needs1 in the most literal sense1 its   
water-baptism before its spirit-baptism 
can be realized4  ,the spirit is not    
lost sight of even in this utilitarian  
age4 ,in religion the means of culture  
have their consummation4 ,within every  
home1 in any degree worthy the name1    
,christianity proves its power1 whether 
the gospel be nominally professed or    
not4 ,the very unity of the family comes
 from ,him1 who has decreed the purity  
of the home by his fundamental law1 and 
bound parents to each other and their   
offspring by a tie at once of principle 
and affection4 ,greater still the       
blessing where ,christianity is fully   
known and practised in its truths and   
graces1 where the pleasant fireside is a
 consecrated altar1 and the earthly     
mansion opens ever into the heavenly4   
,consider then the blessings of our     
homes--their plenty1 their peace1 their 

means of intellectual and spiritual     
culture4  ,consider them well1 and      
moreover1 own ,god's hand in them4  ,god
 is ,creator and ,lord of nature4 ,from 
him comes the plenty of our homes4 ,man 
does not create1 he finds the bounties  
of his lot4 ,his utmost industry and    
skill but find the blessings stored up  
for him4 ,we may look upon the kingdom  
of nature from many points of view4 ,we 
may consider the organism of the        
heavens1 the great periods of the       
earth's apparent formation1 the         
influence of climate and position upon  
the history of nations1 and see ,god's  
hand in natural laws4 ,but what view of 
the universe is more sublime1 and at the
 same time more touching1 than that from
 the home8 ,the heavens themselves help 
in keeping it upon its foundation by the
 force of the great law of attraction1  
whilst every element and domain of the  
earth conspires to give it blessing4    
,tenderly indeed does the ,lord of this 
great ,cosmos care for the dwellings of 

men4 ,his love looks down from the stars
 of heaven that shine into the casement1
 and is reflected from the little flower
 that blooms in the garden1 or cheers   
the sick man's chamber4 ,to ,god1       
,creator and ,preserver1 be our         
thanksgiving4  ,god is in history1 and  
to his hand we trace the peace of our   
homes4 ,our familiar social blessings   
are not the exhalations of a day1 but   
the growth of ages4 ,no clearer or more 
striking view of the development of the 
,divine plans in the course of events   
can be given than the domestic view4    
,all that ,god has done for man as an   
individual soul or as a social being1   
thus is made to appear4 ,there is a     
providence in the development of        
liberty1 and so too in the progress of  
law1 and in the combination of them both
 in a true social order4 ,what better   
symbol of their combination and proof of
 providential guidance than the peaceful
 home8 ,how vast the providential       
agencies instrumental in framing that   

statute-book which1 next to the ,bible1 
is the safeguard of the dwelling1 and   
which bands the whole nation together in
 defence of every citizen's right1--the 
constitution of our country1 to us the  
bequest of ages1 guided by an arm       
mightier than man's1 and to issues      
beyond his dream4 ,in two grand lines of
 influence it brings to every household 
the co-ordinate powers which1 from      
quarters once antagonistic1 unite in a  
true civilization4 ,it guarantees to    
every family the liberty so dearly      
prized by the old parent races of the   
,germanic ,north1 whilst it gathers them
 into a great nation under the guidance 
of that law which was the bequest of the
 ,roman empire to the world4 ,these and 
all the leading lines of history meet in
 the home1 and in them we own ,god's    
guiding hand4 ,from the ,east with the  
,star of true empire1 came the benign   
power that united these two mighty      
agencies of our civilization4 ,surely it
 was the religion of ,jesus that wedded 

,roman law to ,germanic liberty1 and    
laid the foundations of constitutional  
freedom and domestic peace4 ,blessed    
indeed was that bridal1 and the living  
,word that hallowed the union still     
dispenses the blessing1 and calls the   
children of its lineage to a future     
brightening unto the perfect day4  ,the 
,constitution1 and above it1 the ,bible6
 ,in this is the ,word of ,god1 and the 
way of life1 present and eternal4 ,it is
 the chief agency in intellectual and   
spiritual culture1 giving the mind its  
true aim1 the soul its rightful dignity1
 life its highest grace4 ,where the     
,bible is held in honor1 the home has   
purity and elevation4 ,interesting      
indeed is the ecclesiastical view of    
,christianity4 ,for its priests and     
temples we have no words of             
disparagement4 ,yet we most honor the   
church in honoring the home1 for where  
the family is most blessed1 there the   
church is most worthy4 ,the history of  
the gospel neither ends nor begins with 

that of cathedrals and priesthoods4     
,since ,god laid the foundation of      
domestic purity on ,sinai1 since ,jesus 
bore the grace of the gospel to the     
homes of ,judah and ,galilee1 the       
brightest illustrations of the beauty   
and power of religion have been given in
 abodes far less stately than the       
temple1 or the cloister1 or the palace4 
,the end is not yet1 not yet developed  
are our grounds of gratitude to the     
,heavenly ,father for the gospel in the 
blessings of our homes4 ,god's love in  
giving them1 we own and adore4          
,responsibility walks ever hand in hand 
with privilege1 and human duty follows  
in the path of ,divine goodness4 ,no    
topic of graver import can be urged now1
 than that of the obligation of         
,christian people to diffuse domestic   
blessings4 ,this topic carries us into  
the heart of the momentous social       
questions of our age4 ,the ,christian   
should have his answer ready1 an answer 
too which considers all the needs of    

man's being1 and respects alike his     
physical and moral wants4  ,the most    
obvious1 certainly the most obtrusive   
evil in the homes of the wretched1 is   
poverty4 ,the love of ,god1 who has     
given for man's use the earth and its   
fulness1 the gospel of ,him who fed the 
hungry and healed the sick1 teach us to 
look with tender interest upon the poor1
 and try to redeem them from a lot as   
full of temptation as of suffering4 ,of 
public and private almsgiving1 ,i will  
not speak now1 important in their places
 as these are4 ,there is a need far     
greater than these can alleviate1 and ,i
 cannot dwell upon them here1 pertinent 
as it would be to urge the worth of     
those benevolent schemes that aim to    
provide comfortable homes for the poor1 
and commodious baths and wash-houses in 
their neighborhoods4 ,these charities   
appeal to enlightened self-interest1 as 
well as humanity1 and1 if we will not   
ask in kindness who is my neighbor1 we  
shall ask in fear1 either of pestilent  

disease or aggressive violence4 ,the    
springs of human energy are to be moved 
as never before1 and the wretched are to
 be made to help themselves as never    
before2 or our civilization1 certainly  
,european civilization1 will stand on   
the brink of an abyss fearful as at the 
dissolution of the old ,roman ,empire4  
,poverty has1 in some cases1 made an    
alliance that gives omens of a          
conspiracy worse than ,catiline's1 and1 
with cunning quickened by want1 sharpens
 its knife upon the stone which has     
fallen to its lot instead of            
bread1--bent upon living by destruction1
 if it is not taught to live by         
producing4 ,it is an indisputable fact  
that in many countries the majority are 
so ignorant and inefficient1 that the   
whole annual product of the land is not 
sufficient to provide for their decent  
wants4 ,the theorists of ,france1 who   
have been losing their wits in the airy 
heights of pantheistic socialism1 hoping
 to find a way to plenty1 other than the

 old way of labor and frugality1 may    
well remember the answer of the         
admirable political economist1          
,chevalier1 and look for plenty rather  
in making property more desirable than  
less so1 and giving the whole people the
 desire and the opportunity of          
profitable labor4 ,the material product 
of ,france at the highest estimate1 he  
declares1 does not exceed ten thousand  
millions of francs1 and thus at this    
estimate1 an equal division would give  
each person #gh centimes1 or about      
#ad-a_/b cents per day1 for food1       
lodging1 clothing1 education1 enjoyment4
 ,thus1 he adds1 even upon the          
supposition of an absolute distribution 
of products1 ,france is not in a        
condition to give the majority of her   
children a tolerable subsistence4 ,of   
course millions of citizens now come far
 short of this miserable pittance4 ,what
 is the inference8 ,certainly the       
productive industry of the nation must  
be increased1 that there may be plenty  

in the home4 ,let more wealth be        
produced1 and each man be put in a      
position to get a due share of it1 and  
the misery is alleviated1 and plenty in 
the household stops the spirit of       
reckless revolution1 and gives the      
spirit of peace1 and motive and time for
 the higher aims of life4  ,what shall  
increase the national wealth and        
distribute it with due justice in the   
homes of the people8 ,communism8 ,not   
so2 for destroying the very idea of     
property is not the way to increase the 
aggregate of property4 ,who will work1  
if his gains are not secured to him and 
his children8 ,who will plant the grain 
or the vine1 if the field or the        
vineyard is to be an open pasture1 which
 any idler may waste8 ,the way to       
enlarge and distribute wealth is rather 
to strengthen the foundations of        
property1 and give all motive to earn   
their share of it by labor1 temperance1 
and economy4  ,here we believe that     
every nation is bound to apply the force

 of law to reach the root of the        
difficulty4 ,i am not proposing to      
discuss the various projects set on foot
 to insure the more equable distribution
 of property--such as the homestead laws
 of some of our own ,states1 or the     
measures in train to redeem the peasants
 of ,ireland from their slavish penury4 
,very certain it is1 that we need to    
watch jealously the distribution of the 
public lands1 to keep them from the     
grasp of avarice and intrigue1 and to   
hold out the utmost inducements to      
actual settlers to till and own the     
soil4 ,it is interesting to find that   
upon this one point1 the most sanguine  
of the ,land ,reformers have much       
countenance from the most judicious     
conservatives1 and the wary sagacity of 
,webster himself saw no peril in        
securing a part of the national domain  
to every persevering cultivator4 ,it is 
also interesting to observe that1 whilst
 the ultraist advocates of a protective 
tariff have signally lowered their tone1

 some of the most earnest advocates of  
free trade1 as the only philosophical   
theory1 are favoring such judicious     
protective duties as shall tend to bring
 the producer and consumer near         
together1 check the wastefulness of     
needless transportation1 and thus       
prepare the way for the final triumph of
 free trade by the action of associative
 industry4 ,all such expedients however 
good in themselves1 are of no avail     
apart from a broad and energetic policy 
that meets the difficulty in the face4  
,we mean the education of the entire    
people in schools open to all the       
children of the nation4 ,thus we reach  
the home--thus we open the eyes and     
quicken the energies of the people--thus
 we enlarge the products of intelligent 
labor1 and guard against the worst evils
 of human inequality4 ,thus we open the 
way for a better social science and     
organization1 and favor the associated  
enterprise1 which is the best safeguard 
against communism4 ,the educated1       

industrious population will take their  
own lot into their own hands1 and by    
practising a truer philosophy of        
accommodation1 they will apply in their 
home economy something of that wise     
policy which has been left too          
exclusively to the use of the favored   
few4 ,the architecture of the house1 and
 the arrangements of the neighborhood1  
will show the influence4 ,whilst        
gardens1 filled with rare exotics1 and  
stately mansions adorned with the graces
 of art1 may still be the prerogative of
 affluence2 we shall see the comfortable
 and tasteful houses of the unpretending
 classes ranged about pleasant and      
salubrious squares1 with all the        
appliances of health and order1 usually 
deemed beyond their means4 ,for my own  
part1 ,i know no more cheering aspect of
 our country and our age1 than that     
which is furnished by some of those     
villages1 which have been built up in   
the vicinity of our great cities by     
associations of mechanics1 securing to  

each man an independent home4 ,the fact 
that a set of men1 educated in our free 
schools1 and with no means but the fruit
 of their own honest toil1 provide such 
homes for themselves1 must give a       
benevolent observer more genuine        
satisfaction1 and more encouraging hope1
 than any of the proudest triumphs of   
capital1 whether a palace in the city or
 a palace upon the water4 ,it is not out
 of place here to say1 that the highest 
honor will belong to him among our      
architects1 who most skilfully plans a  
model house for the many of us who have 
moderate or slender means--a house that 
shall for the least outlay best secure  
the retirement1 the refinement1 and the 
health that make a true home4 ,honor to 
the science that has busied itself with 
this problem1 and to the capital which  
has tried to carry the solution into    
practice thus far6  ,a true system of   
popular education in connection with our
 laws regarding inheritance1 is raising 
up a generation which will not long be  

ignorant of the power of intelligence1  
industry1 and friendly accommodation1 in
 developing a social policy beyond the  
reach of the fanatical theorists of the 
old world1 who have impoverished the    
nations in their promise of plenty1 and 
shed blood in rivers in the name of     
fraternity4 ,the great mass of the      
people1 it is to be hoped1 will continue
 to have that home feeling1 which is as 
mighty in conservation as in defence4   
,we shall remain as we are in the best  
sense of the term--the most conservative
 nation on the face of the earth4 ,that 
race of ,ishmaelites1 the homeless1 the 
desperate1 the ,bedouins of             
civilization1 whose hand is against     
every man's1 whose delight is in        
commotion1 whose life is in destruction1
 whose hope is in the despair of others1
 will disappear1 kept down in their true
 place1 or what is better1 transformed  
into intelligent1 industrious citizens1 
lovers of the state1 the church1 and the
 home4  ,thus do we commend the worth of

 industry and the education upon which  
it rests1 in diffusing the household    
blessings that we enjoy4 ,but we build  
upon a sandy foundation without a       
positive religious basis4 ,upon that the
 household rests for its primary        
dependence1 and they that sustain and   
practise ,christian principles are      
benefactors alike of the dwelling and   
the church4 ,not merely among the       
wretched and ignorant does the gospel   
utter its rebukes1 and urge its duties  
in reference to this point4 ,it is in   
quarters far different that the great   
wrong has been done1 and a great work is
 demanded4 ,errors of principle as      
errors of life1 have power from the     
station that renders them conspicuous1  
or the refinement that clothes them with
 grace4 ,of errors of life in those who 
give to dissipation the prestige of     
eloquence1 and throw the grace of       
splendor around vices that strike at the
 foundations of domestic purity1 ,i will
 not now undertake to treat4 ,a passing 

word1 however1 upon certain modes of    
thinking and talking1 which sow the     
seeds of those vices in quarters the    
most opposite4 ,the pantheistic theories
 that confound all moral distinctions by
 confounding the distinction between    
,god and nature1 and make of passion a  
devotion1 by calling all enthusiasm     
inspiration1 have had their origin      
chiefly among secluded dreamers1 bent1  
perhaps1 upon amusing leisure by        
reckless speculation4 ,idly as the      
summer winds that float the thistle-down
 on their breath1 have they vented their
 speculations1 until amazed that their  
own fields and their neighbor's have    
been sown with tares by these gossamer  
voyagers4 ,wherever pantheism goes1     
there license follows in its train4     
,more perilous than atheism1 because    
more alluring1 it defies passion1 and in
 the name of inspiration degrades man to
 the brute4 ,it blasts life with its    
torrid fires1 as atheism freezes by its 
polar cold4 ,in the extremes of         

society--the affluent and the           
wretched--this tendency is found1 alike 
in its speculative and practical form1  
in its denial of personal               
responsibility1 its enthroning of       
indulgence in the place of discipline4  
,many a stately home is desolate1 many  
an humble dwelling miserable1 because   
the ,god of the gospel is denied1 and   
that uncompromising law which secures   
the home its purity1 peace and power1   
has been broken4  ,chief among the      
blessings of the household1 then1 we    
name the gospel4 ,it gives the crown to 
industry and education4 ,crowning       
industry and education thus alike by our
 personal bearing1 our public policy1 we
 give as we have received1 and          
acknowledge our duty1 as we own ,god's  
love in our domestic blessings4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,bring near to ourselves now1 in its    
personal and cheering aspect1 the topic 
before us4 ,to ,god1 the ,lord of       
nature1 ,ruler of events1 ,father of our

 spirits1 be all the glory4 ,be his love
 the spring of our humanity4 ,in the    
bounty of our hand1 in the bounty of an 
example personal and domestic1 which in 
itself is a benefaction1 in an enlarged 
public1 nay ,christian spirit1 let us   
freely give as we have received2 that   
plenty1 peace1 piety1 may cheer the     
dwellings of men and regenerate the     
world4 ,this day be our thanksgiving at 
once a prayer of faith and a vow of     
humanity4 ,it is the old home festival  
of our fathers that we are to keep4     
,whose heart does not yearn with sacred 
remembrances and affections to-day8 ,the
 emigrant1 the traveller1 the sailor1   
all turn their thoughts homeward as the 
day approaches1 and lament that their   
steps cannot follow their desires4      
,under sunny skies1 amid the balmy gales
 and luscious fruits of the tropics1 the
 wanderer yearns to cross the familiar  
threshold1 and our bleak ,north in her  
wintry robe is dearer than ,italy or the
 ,indies4 ,many an exile has feelings   

that speak in such simple words as      
these3    ,my father's bones1 ,new      
,england1     ,sleep in thy hallowed    
ground1   ,my living kin1 ,new ,england1
     ,in thy precious paths are found2  
,and though my body dwelleth here1      
,and my weary feet here roam1   ,my     
spirit and my hopes are still     ,in   
thee1 my own loved home4  ,yet distance 
does not rob even the exile of all the  
blessings1 and he knows that he is not  
forgotten4 ,families separated          
throughout the year1 now gather         
together4 ,sons and daughters return to 
the parental fireside and are children  
again4 ,the patriarchal times1 surely   
among all of the ,pilgrim race1 and not 
among them alone1 come back4 ,the father
 stands as head and minister of the     
family4 ,many a happy band of children  
rise up and call the mother blessed4    
,the absent are not forgotten--the      
departed are tenderly remembered--seats 
vacant at the table have occupants in   
the hearts of the survivors4  ,it is    

well--it is well--this home-festival of 
the ingathering4 ,god gives the         
abounding harvest1 and our fellow-men   
are to us the stewards of his bounty4   
,devoutly to ,him1 kindly to them1 let  
the hours pass4 ,health to the absent1 a
 tear for the departed--a smile for the 
present--good will to all on            
earth--glory to ,god in the highest4    
,let the young rejoice1 and the old be  
young again4 ,let memory solemnize us by
 her images of scenes and days gone by1 
whilst hope cheers us by auspicious     
promises of the future on earth1 and of 
the heavenly mansions1 the soul's       
eternal home4  ,thanksgiving ,day4      
,the ,ideal of ,womanhood4     ,,the    
,,ideal ,,of ,,womanhood4   ,it is the  
,eve of ,christmas1 and above the       
cheerful family circle that gathers     
about the hearth1 the faces of the holy 
family look benignly down1 and ,mary's  
own smile seems to brighten the genial  
light4 ,all surely must call that mother
 blessed1 who celebrate the birth of the

 ,holy ,child4 ,the ,angel of the       
annunciation seems always to be speaking
 anew in the anthem of the ,nativity as 
if the voice which told ,mary of her    
high destiny celebrated also its        
fulfilment1 and the ,hail ,mary were but
 the prelude of the ,glory to ,god in   
the ,highest4  ,our thought this evening
 turns upon the ,mother of ,christ1 as  
illustrating the ideal of woman and the 
sources of her power4 ,in the manger at 
,bethlehem1 the mother and child were   
together--together during the years of  
preparation for the public              
ministry--together at the cross4 ,we    
honor both in honoring either4          
,especially in calling ,mary blessed1 do
 we honor ,christ1 for we remember not  
merely what she was to him1 but what he 
has been to her and her sex and her     
race4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,let us look at the subject
 from our own point of view1 nor try to 
put on the mask of affected sentiment or
 to stand on the stilts of borrowed     

dogmas4 ,there is much beauty and power 
in the ,catholic notions of the ,blessed
 ,virgin1 but they are not our          
convictions4 ,the sweetest hymns in the 
,breviary are in her praise1 and her    
heavenly face has been the chief charm  
of ,catholic art1 else altogether too   
grim with spectral monks and ghostly    
confessors4 ,this one fact it is most   
interesting to remark1 that as          
,christianity was divested of its genial
 and humane graces1 and our ,saviour    
himself was removed from the personal   
sympathies of men by a faith too        
forgetful of his humanity in vindicating
 his divinity1 the affections of        
,christians sought in the ,blessed      
,mother the solace denied them by       
prevalent views of the ,divine ,son4 ,as
 the monkish spirit grew darker1 the    
face of ,mary beamed more brightly4 ,the
 age that embodied its terrors in the   
,dies ,irae1 breathed its tenderness in 
the ,stabat ,mater1 the exquisite hymn  
whose authorship1 strange to say1 has   

been with show of reason ascribed to the
 most thorough-going of the ,popes1     
,innocent the ,third1 the man who dared 
to put ,england under an interdict4 ,it 
is not for such reasons that we are     
moved to speak of ,mary now4 ,we are not
 oppressed by a religion that so crushes
 the natural affections and rebukes the 
domestic feelings1 that we need to look 
for solace to one taken arbitrarily from
 her place among women and invoked as   
,queen of ,heaven1 above all saints and 
angels1 next to ,god4 ,looking upon our 
homes1 so pleasant and so genial with   
woman's graces and children's gladness1 
we prefer to say the ,hail ,mary as the 
gospel gives it1 and not as the priest  
has understood it4 ,we can say1 ,blessed
 art thou among women--among them1 not  
above them--among them to illustrate    
their mission from ,god1 their work on  
earth--their part in heaven4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,think of
 ,mary first as illustrating true       
womanhood in its mission from ,god4     

,fathers and sons1 as well as mothers   
and daughters1 think4 ,in our notions of
 education1 society1 reform1 we are all 
afloat unless we start with right ideas2
 and whence are they but from the       
,eternal ,mind4 ,we know ,god as he     
reveals himself1 and creation in its    
highest aspects reveals the thought of  
,god4 ,the ,divine ,being is            
,self-,existent1 ,almighty1 ,all-wise1  
,ever-blessed1 dwelling in light and    
love unspeakable4 ,but the moment that  
we pass from the contemplation of his   
attributes to the survey of his works1  
we see every where partial              
manifestations of his fulness4 ,only as 
we bring together the various elements  
and beings of nature1 do we comprehend  
the universe as expressing the mind of  
,god4 ,throughout the whole we observe a
 law of duality1 a harmony of contrasts1
 the two parallel footprints in the     
majestic march of ,him who is the       
infinite ,wisdom and ,love4 ,we see this
 form of development from the lowest to 

the highest plane of nature--in the     
affinities of the gases--in the strange 
and mighty forces of electricity and    
magnetism--in the rays of light--in the 
kingdom of plants--in the animated      
kingdom4 ,in the human race it has its  
fullest expression4 ,there the ,most    
,high has left most clearly the image of
 himself1 and recorded the might and the
 loveliness of his own attributes4 ,to  
the one sex he has given1 in largest    
measure1 strength1--to the other1       
beauty2 to the one1 aggressive force--to
 the other1 winning affections--to the  
one1 the palm in the empire of          
thought--to the other1 the palm in the  
empire of feeling4 ,we need not pursue  
the parallel1 nor rebuke the folly of   
those who would make the line of        
separation too sharp1 and deny heart to 
man or wisdom to woman1 forgetting that 
in man thought should be pervaded with  
feeling1 and in woman feeling should be 
guided by thought4 ,it is enough to look
 to ,mary as she stood in the hour of   

her joy1 and listen to what she said1   
who has been called beyond any other of 
her sex1 to be their benefactor and     
interpreter3--    ,my soul doth magnify 
the ,lord1   ,and my spirit doth rejoice
 in ,god1 my ,saviour1   ,for he hath   
regarded the low estate of his          
handmaiden2   ,for behold6 from         
henceforth all generations shall call me
 blessed4  ,various ages may have       
various degrees of culture1 and in      
knowledge and accomplishment the        
daughters of ,christendom may now far   
surpass those taught in the simpler     
homes of ,israel4 ,yet where among those
 favored with education or gifted with  
genius1 shall we find a better          
interpreter of womanhood in its mission 
from ,god1 than that trusting ,hebrew in
 her filial faith and unwavering        
devotion4 ,of her1 the ,aspasias proud  
of the society of sages and orators1    
might learn that there is a faith       
passing knowledge1 and a purity more    
refining than any literary taste2 from  

her the ,cornelias might learn of a     
kingdom greater than that to which they 
vowed their sons2 from her the ,sapphos 
might hear of a vision beyond that of   
any impassioned fancy2 and the          
,cleopatras of a gem brighter than any  
in their crown4 ,her soul attuned to    
devotion by the ,psalms of her great    
ancestor1 ,david1 and inflamed with hope
 by the visions of prophets1 and        
schooled to patient charity by the      
choicest examples of the mothers in     
,israel1 she stands at the centre of    
,providential history1 receiving from   
the former ages their mantle of honor1  
and transmitting it to the new ages     
enriched with a divine grace1 destined  
to brighten with time4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,of      
,mary's life and work1 few particulars  
are given--but those few are expressive 
of her whole character4 ,she who kept   
her faithful watch on the night of the  
nativity1 never belied the promise of   
that time4 ,with mingled solicitude and 

reverence1 tenderness and fortitude1 she
 guarded her child1 marked the gradual  
rising of the consciousness of ,divinity
 within him1 and waited between hope and
 fear for the development of his        
mysterious life4  ,one of the most      
gifted women of our age1 ,elizabeth     
,barrett ,browning1 thus portrays       
,mary's feelings as she looked upon her 
child sleeping3    ,sleep1 sleep1 mine  
,holy ,one4     99       99       99    
99   ,i am not proud--meek angels1 put  
ye on   ,new meeknesses to hear such    
utterance rest   ,on mortal lips1 ',i am
 not proud'--not proud6   ,albeit in my 
flesh ,god sent ,his ,son1   ,albeit    
over ,him my head is bowed1   ,as others
 bow before ,him1 still mine heart1     
,bows lower then their knees6 ,o        
centuries   ,that roll1 in vision1 your 
futurities         ,my grave athwart6   
,whose murmurs seem to reach me while ,i
 keep         ,watch o'er this sleep6   
,say of me as the ,heavenly said1 ',thou
 art   ,the blessedest of women6'       

blessedest1   ,not holiest1 not         
noblest--no high name1   ,whose height  
misplaced may pierce me like a shame1   
,when ,i sit meek in heaven6--          
,for me--for me--   ,i often wandered   
forth1 more child than maiden1   ,among 
the lonely hills of ,galilee1   ,whose  
summits looked heaven-laden6            
,listening to silentness1 that seemed to
 be   ,god's voice1 so soft1 yet        
strong--so fain to press   ,upon my     
heart1 as ,heaven did on the height1--  
,and waken up its shadows by a light1   
,and show its vileness by a holiness6   
,then ,i knelt down1 as silent as the   
night1         ,too self-renounced for  
fears2   ,raising my small face to the  
boundless blue1   ,whose stars did mix  
and tremble in my tears6   ,god heard   
them falling often--with his dew4       
,think of the lot of ,christ1 and       
remember how closely another heart beat 
in unison with his heart--how nearly    
parallel her life ran with his life4    
,pass from the manger to the ,cross1 and

 those two scenes are enough to suggest 
the outlines of her experience during   
that eventful interval4 ,listen to the  
words--,woman1 behold thy son--and to   
the disciple1 behold thy mother4 ,think 
of what followed--the joy at ,christ's  
rising to dwell in visible presence with
 his own1 and after his ascension to    
dwell with them in his witnessing       
,spirit4 ,among those who remembered the
 promise3 ,lo ,i am with you always1    
even unto the end of the world1 there   
was one who added a mother's love to a  
disciple's faith1 as in the coming of   
the ,comforter to her soul1 she received
 her new birth into the kingdom of ,god1
 through him who had his birth on earth 
from her4 ,confided as she had been to  
the disciple whom ,jesus so loved1 a    
guest in his household1 the constant    
companion of the growing circle of      
believers1 how could she be without     
great influence on their faith and      
fellowship8 ,when she passed away1 a new
 light rose for them in the heavens4    

,their religion was not a code of moral 
precepts1 or a set of theological       
propositions1 but a gospel of speaking  
facts and living words4 ,their religion 
was ,christ and all that is ,christlike4
 ,their heaven was no ethereal          
abstraction1 no pantheistic merging of  
spirits in infinity2 but the home of    
true souls--the mansions of the ,father 
opened by ,christ to all the faithful1  
and surely unto her who guarded his     
infant weakness and wept over his dying 
agonies4 ,on earth and in heaven the    
blessed mother stood to them for the    
ideal of true womanhood1 and early      
,christian antiquity is full of traces  
of the tender and beautiful affection   
felt for her1 before superstition seized
 upon the lovely sentiment and hardened 
it into a priestly dogma4 ,yet under the
 dogma1 the true feeling has never been 
wholly lost sight of1 and with many who 
are called idolatrous1 the homage to    
,st4 ,mary is but an exalted form of    
reverence to a moral loveliness1 now in 

heaven4 ,our own ,germanic ancestors    
shared more deeply in the sentiment     
probably than any other people1 as they 
came from their cold homes in northern  
,europe--received the gospel of ,christ 
from the missionaries of the church1 and
 rejoiced to find their national feeling
 of chivalrous respect for woman        
confirmed and spiritualized by the      
honors paid to her1 whom angels hailed  
as full of grace1 and whose name all    
,christendom spoke with blessing4 ,this 
high sentiment1 somewhat sobered by our 
,protestant faith and our household     
utilities1 has come to us with our      
religion and our homes4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,it is   
becoming a somewhat practical1 and in   
both hemispheres1 an agitating question1
 how far the accepted ,christian idea of
 true womanhood should be enlarged or   
amended to meet the demands of our own  
age4 ,the voice of ,mary ,wolstoncroft1 
claiming masculine freedom for sex1 has 
found a thousand echoes1 and assemblies 

of women1 no strangers to ,christian    
culture1 clamor for a new day of social 
and political emancipation4 ,their      
demands are not to be treated with      
ridicule1 for under all their           
extravagance lurk truths of momentous   
import4 ,who can think of the thousands 
and hundreds of thousands of the sex1   
whose utmost labors hardly keep off cold
 and starvation--of the wretched notions
 of education and life1 which so        
enfeeble the poor and corrupt the       
affluent--of the false social system    
which is so ready to smile upon the     
destroyer of innocence1 and curse the   
victim of his arts2 who can think of the
 scenes in the hovels of innocent       
poverty1 the dens of loathsome vice1 and
 the gilded saloons of painted misery1  
upon which the shadows of this blessed  
eve are now falling1 and not be willing 
to pardon some thing to the spirit of   
mercy1 even if its tones seem to us too 
shrill for gentle lips8 ,who is not     
willing to remember1 moreover1 that if  

they assert a folly1 who claim for woman
 the political offices that must rob the
 home of her fidelity2 they assert1 and 
actually are diffusing a more dangerous 
error1 who in more silken speech brand  
the household virtues as servile        
drudgery1 and whose lives are a         
continued and studious round of elegant 
and jewelled vagrancy from the sacred   
uses and blessed companionships of their
 own fireside2 nay1 whose eyes seem only
 to open when the lights of the theatre 
and ball-room blaze1 and whose pulses   
really beat only in exciting assemblies 
under the delirium of the wine-cup and  
the voluptuous dance4 ,from both errors 
the true idea of womanhood may save our 
time1 and1 nevertheless1 confer upon us 
the substantial good1 which is so dimly 
seen by the rival schools of            
culture--the fashionable and the        
masculine4 ,well taught and trained1 our
 daughters may have all true graces     
without ,parisian levity1 and all       
intellectual discipline without         

,amazonian boldness4  ,no greater       
mistake can be made than that which     
would take woman from her sphere of     
dignity and power1 and make her the     
rival of man in pursuits which require  
his ruder nature and sterner will4      
,mary1 the wife of ,godwin1 with her    
obtrusive band of far more extravagant  
followers1 opens no path of honor and   
power compared with that pointed out by 
,mary of ,nazareth1 the light of her    
home1 the guardian of her ,holy ,child2 
encouraging the disciples by a voice1   
the mightier on account of its not being
 heard in the streets1 and to them and  
to all after them1 a name for spiritual 
loveliness1 and all gentle and confiding
 graces1 among the souls exalted to     
heaven4 ,using present agencies1 and    
following the guidance of the gospel1   
the mothers and sisters in our ,israel1 
may deal more wisely and strongly with  
the social problems of our time1 and do 
their part for the kingdom of ,god--than
 by crowding to the ballot-box1         

screaming in the caucus1 or snatching at
 the staff of office4 ,so deeply is this
 the conviction of the most judicious of
 the sex1 that many words on the subject
 would be superfluous4 ,nor would we add
 any to the many words that have been   
shed upon the question of the equality  
of the sexes4 ,as well let the rays of  
the solar light dispute for precedence1 
and the red ray1 so blazing1 presume to 
deny the equal worth of the violet ray1 
which1 science teaches us1 has power to 
make iron magnetic1 and which more than 
its more bold companion on the other    
side of the prism1 makes the impression 
on the silvered plate--itself the most  
magical pencil in the skilful hand of   
that unrivalled painter1 the sun4 ,god  
has united both rays in the sweet light 
of true humanity1 and what ,he has      
joined together1 let not man try to put 
asunder4  ,the greater danger is in a   
servile acquiescence in prevalent       
worldliness and mediocrity--a           
disposition to repeat the common pleas  

of precedent1 and to live solely in the 
externals of society4 ,in our own       
beloved country1 where liberty1 without 
example1 is extended to woman1 and a    
courtesy1 without limit1 is shown her1  
they who hold in their keeping the      
future of their sex should not be       
content to follow the rule of court     
journals1 or bow to the dicta of        
,parisian modists1 who are fond of      
ruling over morals1 as over costume4    
,our liberty should give them a stronger
 and more rational intellectual         
discipline than in the lands more       
enslaved by precedent4 ,our courtesy1   
that national chivalry1 which insists on
 deference as much towards the rustic   
maiden as the city belle1 will be sadly 
abused if made the occasion of an       
obtrusive arrogance1 which claims       
precedence as a right1 and elbows its   
way through crowds of men who are more  
ready to yield by grace than by command4
  ,our country has from the first       
cherished a noble idea of womanhood1 and

 under its influence the strength of its
 sons1 and the refinement of its        
daughters have been nurtured4 ,kindly   
omens abounded in the first days of its 
history4 ,our continent itself is one of
 the omens4 ,that you may not call me   
too fanciful or sentimental1 let me     
quote from an eloquent writer on the    
philosophy of geography1 as he compares 
the ,old and ,new ,worlds4 ,the number  
of the continents in the ,old ,world1   
which is double that of the ,new ,world1
 their grouping in a more compact and   
solid mass--make it already and         
pre-eminently the continental world4 ,it
 is a mighty oak1 with a stout and      
sturdy trunk1 whilst ,america is the    
slender and flexible palm-tree1 so dear 
to this continent4 ,the ,old ,world1 if 
it is allowable to employ here          
comparisons of this nature1 calls to    
mind the square1 solid figure of man2   
,america the lithe shape and delicate   
form of woman4  ,so ,america stood like 
a fair bride in her ocean home1 adorned 

for her husband1 that mighty race from  
the ,east1 that came in the path of the 
sunshine1 as if following the lord of   
day1 who is as a bridegroom coming out  
of his chamber4 ,our heroes bore with   
them a ,christian ideal of womanhood1   
and by it were gentle as they were      
strong4 ,it came with ,columbus in the  
cherished image of that noble queen1 who
 gave gold and hope to an enterprise    
elsewhere rejected with derision2 and   
the thought of ,isabella mingled with   
that of the ,blessed ,mother1 as he     
planted the cross on the western shores4
 ,it came with the cavaliers who gave   
,virginia its name and honor1 and whose 
foremost and noblest chief found a      
counterpart of his own ideal in the     
,indian girl1 who saved his life by     
risking her own1 giving ,christian      
mercy1 to receive in return the         
,christian's faith and home2 owning1 by 
the baptismal vow1 the ,great ,spirit   
whom she had seen in cloud and heard in 
the wind1 thenceforth1 as the ,god and  

,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,it
 came with the ,huguenots of ,carolina1 
the ,catholics of ,maryland1 the        
,friends of ,pennsylvania1 the          
,hollanders of ,manhattan1 and not last 
nor least1 with the ,pilgrims of that   
,mayflower1 whose seeds struck deep into
 the ,new ,england soil1 and whose      
scions have borne beauty and fragrance  
to the hills and valleys1 the farms and 
cities of our motherland1 making the    
wilderness blossom as the rose1 when the
 sweet ,marys gave grace to ,puritan    
homes4  ,herein lies a great element of 
power and of hope for our country4 ,our 
soil is rich1 our lakes and rivers are  
vast1 our strength is great1 our courage
 good1 our schools are many1 our wealth 
is unexampled4 ,but these are not       
all--nor are these the elements that are
 to tame our barbaric borders1 and lead 
to harmony our chaotic and scattered    
members4 ,the church and home must go   
together1 and unite our nation under the
 empire of ,christ1 as under the empire 

of civil law4 ,the church and home are  
advancing together from the ,atlantic to
 the ,pacific shore4 ,the farmer of     
,oregon1 the miner of ,california1 are  
not to be beyond the pale of ,christian 
civilization4 ,even they shall hear the 
chimes that tell of the nativity of the 
,saviour--they shall find in their      
homes1 rude cabins though they may be1  
pleasant faces1 whose womanly grace and 
childish confidence shall reveal a light
 kindled of old by the ,blessed ,mother1
 and nurtured for ever by her ,holy     
,child4  ,here patriotism and           
,christianity blend in one4 ,anathema   
upon the false speculations and foul    
vices that assault the family           
institution4 ,blessed be the gospel of  
,him who asserts the uncompromising law 
of domestic purity1 and opens most      
tenderly the ,divine benignity1 when    
most urging the ,divine commandment4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,there is a branch of this subject which
 ,i cannot treat--one1 perhaps1 that    

dwells too much in the region of higher 
sentiment to be the theme of popular    
discussion1 and which no writer can     
easily handle1 without seeming to be    
borrowing from the ancient theology its 
comments on the ,song of ,songs1 or     
delving in the dark but rich mines of   
,swedenborg's ,arcana4 ,yet it would be 
no far-fetched topic1 whilst speaking of
 her who has been called the ,queen of  
,heaven1 and regarded by the ,fenelons  
and ,catharines of faith1 as the type of
 celestial loveliness1 to treat of the  
ideal of womanhood in the spiritual     
world4 ,surely the higher a true culture
 rises1 the more clearly each great     
family of souls becomes more true to its
 own genius1 and the higher             
companionship known on earth1 in the    
most refined society1 and the worthiest 
families1 illustrates the permanence of 
those traits that give man and woman    
their intellectual and moral            
characteristics4 ,the earthly loves1    
which ,christ came to consecrate1 bear  

the germs of immortal uses1 and are like
 ,mary's own emblem the rose1 which1    
though born in the earth1 lifts its     
bloom and wafts its fragrance to the    
heavens4 ,i know no more elevated       
illustration of this view than that     
given by the ,milton of ,italy1 the     
solemn ,dante1 who1 in his vision of    
,heaven1 wanders through the celestial  
courts with the spirit that had been the
 charm of his earthly life1 and who1    
often as he stood confounded before some
 new mystery1 found his perplexities    
solved by the readier intuition of his  
sainted companion4 ,the higher          
companionship in literature1 art1       
society1 religion1 which we enjoy in    
this world1 and which is so incomplete  
when men or women are alone1 gives some 
idea of the state of souls on high1     
where they that shine most1 and they    
that love most1 cherubim and seraphim1  
blend their holy ministries and bow     
together before the ,eternal ,presence4 
,a homelier view of the subject must end

 our meditation--a view1 however1 that  
opens into the heavenly world4 ,the     
homelier the better--the nearer to our  
hearts4 ,let us call ,mary blessed      
to-day for ourselves1 and for our own   
families and friends4 ,bless her1 now   
that we are thinking of all good        
mothers1 whether the queen true to her  
children on her island-throne1 or the   
faithful mother in the farmer's         
cottage2--so many on the earth--so many 
who have gone from the world1 and whose 
remembered faces now bring heaven near4 
,bless her now1 that we are thinking of 
the happy children gathered together in 
the name of her ,holy ,child--as we     
think of the hosts of little children   
whom ,he has called and is calling to   
,himself4 ,it is a time to be sober1 and
 a time to be merry4 ,in our soberness  
and our mirth1 alike let us remember    
,god's love for us in ,jesus ,christ our
 ,lord4  ,god's blessing1 readers1 upon 
you all--mothers1 fathers1 children1    
brothers1 sisters1 friends--meeting or  

to meet in the sanctuary1 or in your    
homes6 ,his love bring all together at  
last around the tree of life1 whose     
fruit is peace eternal6  ,christmas     
,eve4     ,the ,hope of ,childhood4     
,,the ,,hope ,,of ,,childhood4   ,the   
account of the ,flight to ,egypt1 so    
illustrated by the old masters1 brings  
three images before us1 all in          
themselves interesting1 and expressive  
of lasting realities4 ,central1 is the  
figure of a young child1 speaking at    
once of childhood and the ,god who      
blesses it4 ,on either side what        
contrast in the associated forms6 ,on   
one hand stands ,mary1 watching with    
unwearied vigils over her precious      
charge4 ,in the distance1 in his stately
 palace1 the dark form of the tyrant    
king rises before us2 his hands stained 
with the blood of a noble wife and three
 sons1 his conscience torn by remorse1  
his wrath the more inflamed from the    
consciousness of deserving vengeance1   
his despotic will brooking no thought of

 rivalry1 and dooming to death the      
infant innocents of a whole town to make
 sure of destroying the predicted       
,messiah4  ,here is an emblem of what is
 over in the world4 ,here is childhood1 
its guardian angel1 and its evil genius4
 ,may not the scene suggest some        
thoughts upon ,christianity as the      
guardian of childhood against the spirit
 of the world1 which is its foe8  ,the  
mother and child fled to ,egypt1 there  
to languish or be forgotten8 ,herod sat 
in his palace hall1 there to rule and   
prosper8 ,no4 ,ere the year closed1 he  
died2 before death came1 already a mass 
of putrefaction4 ,he died1 signing with 
his fainting hands his will and the     
death-warrant of his oldest son2 thus   
dispensing death and empire in his last 
act4 ,he died1 and the magnificence of  
his funeral mocked the wretchedness of  
his decease4 ,the body was borne aloft  
on a bier1 which was adorned with gems2 
the winding-sheet was of purple2 his    
whole army1 native and foreign1 marched 

in war array to his grave4 ,as the      
gorgeous procession by slow stages      
passed to the stately mausoleum1        
twenty-five miles distant at the        
,herodium1 word went to the fugitives in
 ,egypt1 that the tyrant was dead4 ,who 
at that time1 in the excitement of the  
funeral1 or the festivities of the      
succession--who cared for the obscure   
family1 that stole on its way quietly to
 ,nazareth8 ,the mother and child lived6
 ,they founded a kingdom that dies      
never4  ,richly that ,christ-child      
repaid his mother's watching1 alike to  
her and to her sex4 ,the religion of    
,christ has been the strength and       
comfort of parents1 and the hope of     
their children4 ,its power in the       
nurture of the young mind has been      
illustrated in every age1 and connects  
itself now momentously with the most    
important topics of our time4 ,what     
topic more congenial with this          
,christmas season1 so consecrated to    
associations with childhood and youth1  

leading us back to the cradle of the    
infant ,redeemer1 and opening a festival
 in which young hearts all over the     
world rejoice8 ,the child ever needs    
protection2 ,herod ever in some form    
rages2 ,christianity like a mighty      
maternal heart needs ever to keep its   
watch4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,look upon the past history
 of ,christendom from this point of     
view1 and how novel and interesting is  
the result6 ,we have been taught to     
associate the progress of ,christianity 
with the account of theological         
controversies1 bitter disputes1 bloody  
persecutions1 proud hierarchies2 and    
thus we too often read the annals of the
 ,church with shame or contempt4 ,but   
take a fairer and more intimate view3   
think of ,christianity in connection    
with childhood and youth1 trace its     
influence upon the home1 the school1 the
 ,church1 in this aspect4 ,do this1 and 
we shall find ourselves moved by the    
annals of every age to tenderness and   

gratitude2 for in every age             
,christianity has been the guardian of  
childhood against the spirit of the     
world1 its foe4 ,when the ,saviour took 
young children in his arms and blessed  
them1 he performed an act which has not 
been without significance in all        
subsequent time4  ,in the primitive time
 the ,christian confessors showed how   
fondly they had been taught to regard   
their offspring1 to care for their souls
 in life and in death1 to commend them  
with deathless love to ,him who had     
opened the gates of everlasting life4   
,in the ,roman catacombs1 far beneath   
the city1 the places of early ,christian
 worship and burial1 the inscriptions on
 the tombstones well express the        
parental feelings of that time4 ,an     
uncommonly large portion of the epitaphs
 given in the description belong to     
children1 and they express the tenderest
 affection4 ,virginius remained but a   
short time with us4 ,sweet ,faustina1   
may you live in ,god4 ,laurence to his  

sweetest son1 ,severus1 borne away by   
angels on the seventh ,ides of ,january4
 ,how different the spirit breathed in  
such inscriptions from that inspired by 
the idolatry1 that formed a god of the  
war-spirit that makes childhood desolate
 and orphaned1 or bows down before      
,moloch and casts children into the fire
 at his feet6  ,turn even to those ages 
that are called by eminence dark--the   
time of monkish austerity and priestly  
sway4 ,there is much in their annals to 
move indignation and sometimes horror4  
,but interpret them fairly1 and we find 
much to move our admiration and love4   
,consider that embodiment of the middle 
ages1 the ,gothic cathedral1 wonderful  
alike for the vastness of its           
proportions and the delicacy of its     
details4 ,there may be austerity in the 
priests that attend its altars1         
fanaticism in the monks who chant its   
litanies1 cruelty in the mailed men who 
kneel at its chancel4 ,but how tender is
 the expression of the whole in         

reference to childhood6 ,the ,holy      
,mother and her ,divine child beam upon 
the worshipper from illuminated missals 
and painted windows4 ,conspicuous at the
 vestibule or by the altar1 stands the  
baptismal font4 ,thither the child of   
the poorest peasant is brought1 and by  
the baptismal water the child is        
recognized as belonging to the kingdom  
not of this world1 a lamb of the good   
,shepherd4 ,not for the few rich1 noble 
or mighty1 but even for him1 the least  
of the earth1 this temple was erected1  
and by that rite the church1 imperial in
 its stately palace1 promises to watch  
over the child1 care for his soul in    
sorrow1 sickness and death4 ,what would 
childhood have been in the dark ages    
without the ,church8 ,what other power  
could have stood between innocence and  
its tempter and destroyer8 ,who would   
have withstood ,herod1 if the mother    
heart of ,christianity had withheld its 
guardianship8  ,the ,protestant         
,reformation consider1 and through all  

its conflicts and persecutions1 what    
tenderness is shown on both sides       
towards childhood6 ,to secure the young 
heart to ,christ and the ,church1 the   
rival parties labored with indefatigable
 zeal4 ,in the zeal and policy of       
,loyola we may see how tenderly the old 
,church sought to keep or regain her    
hold upon the young by measures suited  
to the time4 ,would we know ,luther's   
mind1 look upon him as he sits with lute
 in hand at his fireside1 enjoying the  
gladness of his children at the         
,christmas tree2--look at him1 as with  
pen in hand and the veins of his        
forehead dilated with the excitement1 he
 writes the immortal appeal to the      
powers of ,germany in behalf of free    
schools1 which has joined his name with 
,milton's as champion of popular        
education4 ,think too of the ,pilgrim   
,fathers1 so tender and thoughtful in   
their stern self-denial1 in their       
wilderness home erecting church and     
school-house side by side1 both sacred  

to ,god and his people4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,but it  
is time to look round upon the world as 
it now is4 ,the most important question 
is3 ,what is to be done for the young8  
,this question comprises every other1   
for the generation that is growing up   
will soon have the destinies of the race
 in its charge4 ,surely ,christianity   
needs to be watchful1 for ,herod is     
still abroad4 ,his spirit is still the  
spirit of the world--of the world's     
passions and its policy--breathing now  
in the oppression that neglects or      
overburdens the young1 and now in the   
capricious indulgence that betrays with 
a kiss and kills in the name of love4   
,the world's passions conspire against  
childhood and youth4 ,the lust and      
intemperance1 which degrade the parent1 
press heavily upon the child1 and       
because of them1 thousands of young     
hearts find themselves in a world that  
for them has few smiles4 ,all the       
temptations that inflame the senses1    

prompt to vice1 and kindle hatred1      
conspire against the young1 alike by    
corrupting those who should be their    
protectors1 and sowing prematurely the  
seeds of wickedness in youth itself4    
,every haunt of dissipation1 every      
resort of revelry1 whether the          
drunkard's den or the fashionist's      
brilliant saloon of corruption1 is a    
conspiracy against youth1 and coins its 
gold from the life-blood of young       
hearts4 ,the massacre of the ,innocents 
still goes on4 ,the spirit of ,herod yet
 lives1 and acts in a manner more       
insidious than an open death-warrant4   
,it lives in the passions of a world    
ready to sacrifice all to its lusts4    
,and the world's policy is not kind to  
childhood4 ,what murderers are those its
 chief idols1 ,mars and ,mammon6 ,how   
cruel the game of war and the lust of   
gold6 ,who rules over the strife that   
robs children of parents who go to die  
in foreign lands8 ,what genius1 ,herod  
or ,christ1 presides over the scene1    

when death-dealing batteries are planted
 before peopled cities1 and the blood   
and brains of women and children are    
dashed out at every volley8 ,ye         
,christian chivalry1 ye battle-loving   
parents1 answer that question as for    
yourselves and your children6  ,the lust
 of gold1 that moves the world's        
habitual policy1 is less savage but not 
much more merciful4 ,the spirit of trade
 demands gain1 and claims childhood too 
much as an instrument of gain4 ,in the  
,old ,world1 what myriads whom school or
 church never blesses or knows1 are1    
almost from infancy1 trained to the mine
 or loom1 shut out from free air and    
play1 cramped in body1 as in mind4 ,the 
conscience of ,christians is waking up  
to the subject1 ,i know1 still what a   
world of wretchedness remains           
unalleviated6 ,no poem in the language  
contains more terrific truth1 than that 
noted ode1 called ,the ,cry of the      
,children1 blending1 as it does1 the    
tragic depth of ,aeschylus with the     

tender pathos of ,cowper4    ,they look 
up with their pale and sunken faces1    
,and their looks are sad to see1   ,for 
the man's grief abhorrent1 draws and    
presses       ,down the cheek of        
infancy--   ,your old earth1 they say1  
is very dreary2       ,our young feet1  
they say1 are very weak6   ,few paces   
have we taken1 yet are weary--          
,our grave-rest is very far to seek6    
,ask the old why they weep1 and not the 
children1       ,for the outside earth  
is cold1--   ,and we young ones stand   
without1 in our bewildering1       ,and 
the graves are for the old6    ,two     
words1 indeed1 of praying we remember2  
,and at midnight's hour of harm1--      
,our ,father1 looking upward in the     
chamber1       ,we say softly for a     
charm4   ,we know no other words1 except
 ,our ,father1       ,and we think that1
 in some pause of angels' song1   ,god  
may pluck them with the silence sweet to
 gather1       ,and hold both within his
 right hand which is strong4   ,our     

,father6 ,if ,he heard us1 ,he would    
surely       7,for they call him good   
and mild7   ,answer1 smiling down the   
steep world very purely1       ,come and
 rest with me1 my child6    ,and well   
may the children weep before you2       
,they are weary1 ere they run2   ,they  
have never seen the sunshine1 nor the   
glory       ,which is brighter than the 
sun3   ,they know the grief of men1 but 
not the wisdom2       ,are bitter with  
despairing1 but not calm--   ,are       
slaves1 without the liberty in          
,christdom--       ,are martyrs1 by the 
pang without the palm1--   ,are worn1 as
 if with age1 yet unretrievingly        
,no dear remembrance keep2   ,are       
orphans of the earthly love and         
heavenly3       ,let them weep6 let them
 weep6   ,they look up with their pale  
and sunken faces1       ,and their look 
is dread to see1   ,for you think you   
see their angels in their places1       
,with eyes meant for ,deity4  ,an ode   
such as this was not without effect upon

 the heart of ,england2 nor is the      
humanity which it imbodies rare in our  
land4 ,the spirit of trade among us is  
not wilfully cruel1 but it is too       
devoted to gain--negligent of the claims
 of youth1 when not unkind4 ,neglected  
ones in our own streets have too        
frequent cause to reproach us--neglected
 ones who are strangers to the blessings
 of our civilization1 and who learn our 
laws first from their penalties1 and    
become acquainted with the lessons of   
the prison1 not of church or school4    
,they1 alas1 who might be an honor to   
their sex1 are made to recruit the ranks
 of shame1 and what is the spirit of    
,herod compared with the world's heart  
to fallen woman1 alike in the wickedness
 that tempts and the scorn that awaits  
the fall4  ,and not solely among the    
neglected of the earth does the spirit  
of the world lie in wait for childhood  
and youth4 ,we might speak of the       
indulgence that pampers and vainly ruins
 the soul--of the kindness that kills   

those whom it aims to bless--of the     
neglect of health1 natural and spiritual
 laws1 which luxury introduces into     
modes of home education--of the want of 
a firm discipline that is kindest when  
firmest--of a practical infidelity that 
robs childhood of its sacred birthright1
 by robbing it of trust in ,god and the 
eternal life4 ,herod rages truly in the 
passions and the policy of the world4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,but not unchecked6 ,christianity with  
its great maternal heart is true to her 
watch1 and calling helpers to her side4 
,let us acknowledge it4 ,the great work 
of ,christians now1 is with the young4  
,the work is two-fold1 one of growth and
 of conquest1 one that would rear up the
 offspring of faith within the divine   
kingdom1 and one which would visit the  
neglected and reclaim them from the     
enemies' power4  ,the work must begin1  
indeed1 in the hearts of the mature1    
fostered there by communion with ,god   
and ,christ1 fostered by sacred thought 

and earnest resolution4 ,beginning      
there1 it is to be carried out into the 
great spheres of life1 in which         
childhood receives its direction4 ,vain 
for us to attempt to imbue the young    
mind with truths1 which we receive only 
in name--vain the attempt to feed       
yearning souls with empty words1 or     
breathe into them a higher life1 with   
appeals so faithless and loveless as to 
bear falsity in their very tone1 and    
fall dead upon the ear4 ,as the bee     
watched by ,solomon alighted upon the   
living rose1 and shunned the pretended  
one1 so childhood knows well the tone of
 sincerity1 and craves reality for its  
mental food4 ,let it find the reality4  
,let it find it in the home4 ,home1     
blessed word always1 thrice blessed1    
this day1 that speaks to us of ,jesus1  
who has secured to the household so much
 of its purity and affection1 and that  
brings to mind the loved ones beneath   
our own roofs1 who have hardly slept the
 night from anxious waiting for the     

morning dawn4 ,home--what an engine of  
power1 alike to harm and to bless6 ,let 
it be ,christian in form and in spirit4 
,there let ,god be acknowledged in      
praise and prayer4 ,there let the       
eternal world be unveiled1 and every    
blessing bring it near in gratitude1 and
 every trial draw down its consolation4 
,there let the young breathe in the     
spirit of the gospel4 ,there let ,mary  
keep her watch of love1 and ,herod waits
 in vain to destroy4  ,let the world's  
bad spirit be withstood1 too1 in the    
schools4 ,the cry is now rising in every
 part of ,christendom--from the         
backwoodsmen of the ,rocky ,mountains to
 the cities of the ,old ,world1 of late1
 stirred by a mighty want--,education1  
,universal ,education6 ,in no section1  
certainly1 of our land1 is this spirit  
comparatively more earnest than with    
us--for1 beyond question1 this ,state   
has been recently passing through an    
intellectual revival altogether         
unexampled in the annals of our ,free   

,schools4 ,christians should rejoice in 
the movement1 and should rescue popular 
education from the blighting touch of   
avarice and superstition4 ,let it go on 
in its work of growth and               
conquest--nurturing the children of the 
privileged1 reclaiming the offspring of 
the neglected1 carrying out a mode of   
education based upon the laws of ,god   
and the soul of man1 mindful of every   
faculty1 grace1 affection1 that ,god has
 hallowed and human wisdom unfolds4 ,let
 nothing that has been done lead us to  
be unmindful of what is to be done1     
alike in the extension and elevation of 
the schools4 ,we wonder at the system of
 training pursued of old1 which led     
youth to regard the school as a prison4 
,higher yet the idea must rise1 as      
better views are entertained of the     
capacities of the child1 and the        
intellectual helps and moral            
associations that bring them out4 ,we   
need the idea of the ,christ-child in   
the school4 ,let that haunt the minds of

 parents and teachers1 and that sacred  
ideal of childhood will not be without  
loving disciples1 whose voices shall    
make the songs of the schoolroom as     
sacred and acceptable as temple chants  
or choral litanies4 ,a better spirit1   
and one that demands the co-operation of
 all ,christian people1 has shown itself
 in our city of late1 in the new efforts
 to seek out neglected children1 and    
open to them the blessings of education1
 and industry and religion4 ,the        
establishment of the ,mission at the    
,five ,points1 of the ,children's ,aid  
,society1 of the ,asylum for ,friendless
 ,boys1 have made an era in the         
,christian annals of ,new-,york1 which  
all right-minded persons should bless1  
alike in their word and their work4 ,add
 to these efforts for the poor and      
neglected1 the new institutions1 such as
 the ,free ,college and the ,cooper     
,institute1 which offer such unwonted   
privileges to worthy boys of the        
humblest means1 and we have no reason to

 despair of the future of this great    
city1 or to distrust the school as a    
noble ally of the church4  ,the         
,christian church6 ,here the spirit of  
the guardian mother ought eminently to  
prevail4 ,the church should be the      
mother of the young4 ,oh1 how cold and  
dreary is the idea1 deemed by many the  
essential of ,protestant truth1 the idea
 that the young1 or at least1 little    
children1 can have no vital connection  
with the ,church2 but must wait for some
 preternatural visitation in maturer    
years to call them to the arms of the   
great spiritual mother1 and make them   
feel themselves hers4 ,how              
unsatisfactory the doctrine1 that       
children are to grow up1 as if outside  
of the church1 with the prospect of one 
day being taken in4 ,be ours the        
cheering view1 sanctioned1 surely1 by   
the analogies of revelation1 the faith  
of centuries1 and by the love of        
parents1 that the child should be       
regarded as by birth and baptism        

admitted into the ,christian kingdom1   
and to be nurtured from the very first  
in the principles and affections        
congenial with the government of ,god4  
,let this idea be accepted1 and power   
and blessing would come in its train4   
,higher consecration would crown the    
home1 better wisdom would guide the     
strength of father1 and holier love fill
 the soul of mother1 from their         
communion with the kingdom that claims  
parent and child for its own4 ,the      
,christ-child should be remembered in   
the ,christian ,church4 ,when remembered
 truly1 he will save childhood from     
,herod's hands4  ,this season is a time 
of anticipation and hope4 ,it needs no  
very vivid imagination to bring before  
us the myriads of homes over            
,christendom1 that ring with young      
mirth1 and look cheerfully upon the     
opening age4 ,yet the grave question    
cannot but press itself upon us1 ,what  
is in store for the generation1 that is 
soon to stand in our places1 and bear   

the burdens of life in our stead8       
,interesting1 engrossing indeed are the 
fields of science1 art1 enterprise1     
enjoyment1 now dawning upon us and      
promising a bright meridian to the new  
generation4 ,yet fearfully many dark    
spots in the horizon rise in the        
distance1 and portend ill to many whose 
experience of the world is yet to come4 
,the great want is of an earnest        
purpose1 looking to an eternal aim1 and 
enforced by a true plan of social life4 
,the young host is ready1 but needs     
better guidance4 ,muratori1 the ,italian
 historian1 tells us1 that in the       
twelfth century1 in the contagion of the
 crusades1 children caught the spirit1  
and an army of #cj1jjj was gathered from
 village and city1 and marshalled by a  
child1 started for the ,holy ,land and  
the ,tomb of ,christ4 ,they marched on  
till they came to ,marseilles1 and the  
great sea stopped their fond dream4     
,they wandered about distracted1 and    
thousands miserably perished4 ,perhaps  

too romantic story for sober truth6 ,but
 what a parallel to it in our age6 ,a   
mighty host of youths starts on its way 
to a land of imagined holiness and      
peace4 ,vague aspirations1 selfish      
passions1 spiritual yearnings for the   
good and true1 move their hearts4 ,a    
child will lead them2 the child who is  
to be the strong man of the age1 and who
 is not yet known4 ,sadly1 sadly1 will  
they be disappointed1 unless the leader 
is himself divinely led1 and the heart  
of the ,christ-child lives in him1 and  
thus in the hearts of this generation1  
the ,messiah is born anew4  ,every true 
purpose1 all genuine faith speeds the   
day of his new coming1 and hastens the  
downfall of ,herod and his host4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,friends1 ,readers1 let your hearts     
apply the lesson of this day1 and let   
your hearts be cheered and solemnized by
 its associations4 ,think of your homes 
and the loved ones there4 ,think too of 
the loved ones departed1 and deem them  

not lost1 but gone before6 ,love your   
children1 and love them the more by     
looking on them in the gospel light1 by 
loving them as in ,god and ,christ6     
,think too of our own early days4 ,how  
vividly they at times come back1 so that
 we almost forget maturity and its      
cares1 and are children once more4 ,let 
them come back now1 and with them all   
their tender associations--with them    
thoughts of early home2 brothers1       
sisters1 father1 and more than all of   
her1 who stood to us in ,mary's place1  
and blessed us with a ,christian        
,mother's love6  ,but can the           
association rest there8 ,no6 ,upward to 
,him1 so holy in childhood1 so glorious 
in maturity--to ,him1 ,friend and       
,saviour1 ,messiah1 from whom our best  
blessings flow1 let our gratitude rise1 
and to ,god1 through ,him1 let our      
devotion be exalted6 ,we have no hymn to
 the ,virgin ,mother1 no ,ora pro ,nobis
 for the beatified ,madonna4 ,simple    
faith is better than romantic tradition4

 ,to us heaven is fairer for possessing 
that ,mother and that ,child4           
,christmas ,day4     ,new ,things4      
,,new ,,things4   ,measured by any human
 standard1 how daring was the vision of 
the ,christian seer6 ,from ,patmos1 his 
watchtower of rock in the ,aegean ,sea1 
midway between the hemispheres of       
ancient civilization1 he surveyed the   
ruling powers of the world1 declared    
their doom1 and the rise of a new       
kingdom1 even the ,city of ,god4 ,the   
predominant forces of the existing age  
took visible shape before his inspired  
imagination4 ,jewish bigotry1 ,pagan    
idolatry1 ,roman despotism1 led on by   
the master spirit of evil1 stood before 
him1 as so many fearful monsters4       
,equally vivid were the forms of divine 
agency by which they were to be subdued4
 ,from ,him who sat upon the throne     
revealed in heaven1 came the decree1    
,behold1 ,i make all things new4 ,our   
pen need not lose its cheerfulness in   
writing of this opening year1 with such 

imagery in view4  ,how much of that     
vision has been proved true8 ,enough    
surely to save it from the charge of    
presumption1 enough to ascribe its      
daring rather to a devotion mindful of  
divine guidance than to a wilfulness    
impatient of delay4 ,the former things  
have passed away4 ,the old temple is    
remembered only for the sake of its     
spiritual archetype4 ,the despot's      
purple has faded before the bloodstained
 robes of the martyrs4 ,the idols to    
which men bowed on both the ,aegean     
shores1 the ,european and the ,asiatic1 
have fallen4 ,even the crescent1 that   
has for a time displaced the cross1 and 
which now in the city of ,constantinople
 gleams from the dome of ,st4 ,sophia1  
forms no exception to the statement1 for
 it marks no idolatrous shrine1 but like
 the orb which it represents is but a   
partial reflection of the great source  
of light1 before which it must one day  
grow pale4  ,gradually1 but none the    
less mightily1 the new power went on its

 way1 and ere long from beyond the      
,mediterranean on the ,carthaginian     
shore1 there came a great response to   
the exile of the ,aegean4 ,when         
,augustine wrote his ,city of ,god1 the 
philosopher of history confirmed the    
vision of the seer1 as he celebrated the
 triumphs of that word which planted the
 cross above the throne of the ,caesars4
 ,tempting indeed is the historical     
survey this presented1 but we must not  
yield to the enticement4 ,we must quit  
this grand prospect of the nations1 and 
speak of the ,gospel1 as sent chief of  
all for the renewal of the soul and the 
redemption of the home4                 
,world-regenerating power as it is1 its 
first prerogative is its life-renewing  
office4  ,this principle we are prepared
 to lay down at the outset1 that in the 
order of ,providence ,jesus ,christ is  
the spiritual head of the human race1   
and that men and nations find redemption
 and true life from ,god through ,him4  
,what was said of old1 needs to be said 

now ,behold ,i make all things new--now 
in the ears alike of those who have     
never heard ,christian truth1 and of    
those who have lulled themselves to     
slumber beneath its familiar sound4     
,nay1 the most sincere ,christians need 
constant renewing in the light of first 
principles and by the spirit of true    
life4 ,their piety is apt to harden into
 formalism--their charity to narrow into
 some kind of clanship--their industry  
to sink into a low worldly prudence     
apart from all divine aims4  ,it is not 
easy for any of us to begin the         
,new-,year without a pleasant sense of  
freshness or renovation1 as if some     
former burdens had passed away and many 
things had become new4 ,this is well1   
and needs only to be made better4 ,as we
 renew our friendships1 we should not   
fail to renew our relation with the     
,great ,friend1 and invoke his blessing 
upon the opening months4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,we need 
first of all to review our principles4  

,these we regard as constituting the    
essentials of our faith4 ,however right 
they may have been1 we are very apt to  
lose sight of them1 or gradually1       
perhaps almost unconsciously1 allow     
others to creep into their place4 ,the  
word of ,christ to us now is as of old1 
,believe4 ,what do we believe8 ,what to 
us is the greatest reality8 ,many things
 are true--what to us is the truth8     
,many words are important--what to us is
 the word8 ,answer not in the language  
of decent custom or technical phrase1   
but from the heart4 ,we have all said at
 some time more or less definitely1 ,we 
believe in ,god1 the ,creator of the    
world1 in ,jesus ,christ his ,son and   
express image1 in the ,holy ,spirit1 the
 witness within the soul4 ,when we      
believe thus truly1 then we have the    
true principles of living4 ,we own the  
,divine government1 acknowledge its     
representative1 honor its form of life4 
,but our belief becomes an empty word1  
unless with enlarged knowledge and      

experience1 it is constantly renewed2   
and as we pass into new fields of       
thought1 action1 observation1 we subdue 
this added territory to the rightful    
sovereignty1 and interpret all things in
 the light of ,divine truth4 ,have we   
done this--are we doing it8 ,or have we 
left our faith behind us1 and in our    
world of business or pleasure1 do we    
find ourselves either utterly without   
,god1 or with ,him only in the most     
vague and distant idea8 ,true faith is  
not overcome by the world1 but overcomes
 the world4  ,we learn a great many     
things as our years pass1 and there is a
 knowledge--do we not know it8 that     
increaseth sorrow4 ,such is all the     
knowledge that shuts out the light of   
,god2 and leads man away from a filial  
faith in the ,eternal ,parent and the   
heavenly home4 ,such stores indeed      
increase our nominal domain1 but only as
 he would enlarge his estate who were to
 conquer ,sahara and pitch his tent     
among desert sands where no living water

 is4  ,faith--the faith that ,god is    
,father of men--that he is in ,christ1  
and through ,him will visit us in the   
soul and the life1 makes all things     
new--constantly leads us into new       
experience of ,divine truth1 and makes  
old things appear in a new light4 ,this 
is no narrow creed for the recluse or   
the mystic4 ,it is for men of all       
tempers and conditions4 ,nay1 they need 
it most1 whose pursuits are most likely 
to chain them down to the earth4 ,for   
them indeed occasional leisure and      
recreation has no small solace4 ,but1   
the best solace for world-weariness is  
the rest of the soul in ,god2 the mind's
 trust in the greatest of realities1 the
 ,being of beings4 ,all pleasure that   
deadens this trust but adds to the      
weariness which it would charm away and 
is the serpent's whisper1 that promises 
the peace which comes only from the     
heavenly dove4 ,above all our prudence1 
all our labors and expedients1 we are   
compelled to look for the true light4   

,revive1 increase our faith1 and        
straightway all things are new4 ,god    
reveals new features of his ,providence1
 and things familiar have a new         
expression1 and speak no longer only of 
the earth4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,who can recur thus to     
first principles and find from them     
better light and peace1 without carrying
 the renewing influence into the sphere 
of the affections8 ,here the ,divine    
,word has a voice for us--a voice too   
much neglected because identified either
 with a perplexing theological system or
 a shallow sentimentalism4 ,god is love1
 and he that loveth not knoweth not     
,god4 ,this truth came from ,him who    
made the soul1 and knows well its wants4
 ,bring it near to us and feel its      
renovating power4 ,there seems always   
indeed to be a peculiar peril in        
moralizing upon the affections1 and they
 are very apt to be chilled by the      
precepts that most insist upon their    
vitality and warmth4 ,but the ,christian

 ,gospel is little disposed to waive its
 imperious claims from fear of the      
metaphysician or the sentimentalist4 ,it
 says ,love ,god and the brethren1 and  
bids us make this truth practical4 ,as  
the years pass1 instead of having less  
affection1 we ought to have more4 ,a    
true life always has more1 as it        
enlarges its experience and its         
faculty--not indeed more of that        
superficial sensibility which is the    
burden of so many moon-struck rhymesters
 and the great staple of the common     
romancers1 but more of that divine      
charity1 that vital good-will1 which    
holds filial communion with the ,father1
 and1 striving to be perfect even as he 
is perfect1 carries the light and warmth
 of its presence into every sphere of   
life4 ,in fact1 the highest human wisdom
 is affectionate as it is mature4 ,the  
novice in thought may be sharp and      
crabbed1 but the sage is tolerant and   
kind4 ,he who sees the truth in its     
reality1 sees that it is the form which 

contains and expresses goodness4 ,if    
there be a kind of intellectual power   
that is bitter and malicious1 it is sure
 to be only some shape of low cunning or
 some perversion of the better          
reason--some perversion that shows      
,lucifer's fall1 if it shine with       
something of his light4 ,the ,master and
 they who learned of him were full of   
love as of wisdom4 ,such is the plan of 
,god's moral government based upon the  
nature of his own being4  ,the ,father  
calls us to be followers of him as dear 
children1 and in the sober thought of   
mature years to cherish more than the   
impulsive affection of childhood4 ,he   
demands that our whole life-plan should 
be guided1 nay1 pervaded with good-will4
 ,if there be less sensitiveness upon   
the surface of the character1 there     
should be a deeper sentiment within4 ,he
 is ready to help us win the grace1     
which he commends4 ,through devout      
thought1 whether of meditation or       
prayer--through every act which brings  

us near to himself1 whether of          
self-denying humanity or of common      
neighborly kindness1 he is ready to     
impart to the soul something of the     
fulness of his ,spirit1 and renew our   
being in its central spring4  ,we need  
this influence in our near affinities   
and remoter relations4 ,the ice gathers 
about us1 and should be melted away4    
,the most intimate ties become dull and 
indifferent through custom1 and the     
nearest friends1 because of their       
nearness1 lose interest as if estranged4
 ,in the same ,divine fountain we       
refresh every home feeling and social   
sympathy4 ,realizing anew our relation  
to ,god1 we are ready to see more of his
 goodness in all things around1 and     
regard every aspect of humanity1 as a   
call upon us to appreciate his love for 
us by our own for his creatures4 ,the   
point of view is at once changed1 and we
 look upon our fellow-beings no longer  
in the spirit of harsh critics1 exacting
 all things and owing nothing1 but as   

ourselves dependants upon ,divine favor1
 and owing mercy even as we have        
received4 ,every human tie is in peril1 
when this sentiment is forgotten4 ,when 
its force is felt1 every sphere of life 
has a blessing4 ,home wears a new smile1
 and its mutual deference repeats the   
great law of ,heaven4 ,strifes among    
kindred and acquaintances cease4 ,the   
sternest censor of the follies and vices
 of mankind mingles mercy with his      
judgment1 and considers with thoughtful 
compassion the infirmities at which the 
cynic scoffs4 ,because he opens his     
heart1 he does not shut his eyes1 but   
with judgment keen1 yet tender and      
forbearing1 in a spirit wise and benign1
 nay1 ,christlike1 he looks upon the    
strange drama of human life1 and whilst 
he cannot wholly solve its problem1 sees
 enough of ,god in the universe and     
among men to submit the ultimate        
solution to the ,divine ,power1 and     
finds a very sure way of helping on the 
,divine plans by a life of justice1     

energy and good-will4 ,who of us does   
not need more of this spirit1 more sense
 of ,god's love to us1 as the great     
source of kind affection to one another8
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,for want of it1 and of the filial  
faith in which it has its root1 we      
wither up1 and our best strength is     
lost4 ,nay1 our very work               
languishes--our labor1 whatever it may  
be1 loses its zest4 ,there is no man of 
generous mind1 who has not at some time 
accepted his life-work in a spirit truly
 religious1 feeling that its burdens are
 to be borne in a ,christian temper1 and
 its duties done with reference to      
exalted aims4 ,but how often the better 
purpose languishes1 and we pursue our   
toil away from the fountains of true    
life1 separating the spheres which ,god 
has joined together1 robbing our daily  
life of the freshness and power1 which  
our youthful zeal possessed without     
care1 and which need only to be truly   
cared for to be preserved1 nay1 to grow 

in vigor4 ,it is not always so with us1 
but too often2 and there are none who do
 not need renovation in respect to their
 life-plan and work4 ,some things we    
should do1 that we have not done--some  
things1 that we have done1 should have  
been left undone4 ,there is much        
efficacy in a sober and honest review of
 our personal career1 of what we have   
achieved1 suffered1 gained1 lost1 and of
 what has been our use alike of our     
successes and disappointments4 ,god has 
given to us something of his own power  
of judgment1 and we are the better      
either by the rebuke or the             
encouragement of the ,ill-done or the   
,well-done1 pronounced by ourselves upon
 ourselves4 ,more power still comes from
 bringing all the higher resources of   
our being upon our labor1 refusing to   
become the serfs of a slavish routine of
 task-work1 and keeping our hours and   
weeks fresh alike by the faculties that 
we exert1 and the aims to which we look4
 ,happy1 indeed1 the man1 whatever be   

the sphere of his action1 whose being is
 renewed rather than exhausted by his   
toil4 ,only a filial faith and love can 
insure this blessing4 ,a cheerful temper
 is much1 but not all2 and no merely    
animal spirits can suffice to renovate  
the mind under so many vicissitudes and 
disappointments as most lives present4  
,a man's spirit is the chief fact in    
determining his spirits1 and the spirit 
can be kept fresh and strong only by    
communion with the ,god who gave it4    
,they who take the work of life as given
 by ,god in kindness1 and as to be done 
faithfully and cheerfully1 filially1    
keep and enlarge their power4 ,whatever 
their sphere1 they wait upon the ,lord1 
and they that wait upon the ,lord shall 
renew their strength--they shall mount  
up with wings as eagles--they shall run 
and not be weary--they shall walk and   
not faint4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,thus following the        
leadings of ,divine ,providence1 we find
 the true fountain of life4 ,all things 

are ever new1 and in our faint human    
experience we are able to know something
 of the bliss of that ,infinite and     
,omniscient1 to whom all things are     
known--to whom there is no past or      
future1 yet whose is the fulness of an  
ever-renewing life1 the great ,i ,am1   
from everlasting to everlasting4        
,existence becomes more serene1 yet more
 earnest2 less impassioned1 not less    
affectionate2 less impulsive1 but far   
more interesting4 ,there are two kinds  
of renewal1 distant as are earth and    
heaven4 ,the one comes from the novelty 
of a constant variety1 the other from   
the freshness of an ever truer life4    
,just across the sea the exile of       
,patmos could have found an excellent   
example to place in contrast with the   
spirit of renewal which he urged4 ,the  
,athenian--and he is in this respect    
more favored with followers than in his 
,attic refinement--spent his time in    
seeking for some new thing4 ,common life
 was stupid1 its business was           

contemptible and fit only for slaves4   
,different the spirit1 as the lot of    
this novelty hunter from that of the    
,christian with his ever renewed mind4  
,the one finds what is new by skimming  
over surfaces1 the other by drawing from
 inexhaustible depths4 ,the one scatters
 his forces as he seeks to refresh them1
 the other concentrates his powers in   
the very process of renovation4 ,the one
 yields to a passion for mental         
dissipation that burns and wastes like a
 fever1 the other follows a law of life1
 whose pulses beat in ever serener      
health--nay1 beat in ever-renewing      
vigor1 and sound no funeral marches to  
the grave4 ,in short1 the one indulges  
in a mental distraction that has in     
itself the principle of exhaustion2 the 
other is nurtured by the ,divine aliment
 which gives a life that is eternal4    
,are not our own experience and         
observation full of illustrations of the
 truth that has been presented4 ,are not
 history and biography constant         

witnesses of the ever-renovating power  
of a genuine faith1 and love1 and work1 
and also of the fate of worldly passion 
to exhaust its own springs of enjoyment4
 ,how signal an illustration we may take
 from the destiny of two men of the last
 century1 who1 more than any others1    
moved ,france and ,england--the nations 
to which they spoke4 ,mirabeau1 a man of
 robust frame and singular native       
eloquence1 was cut down in the very     
meridian of his day by a disease which  
was an expressive close and consequence 
of the fitful fever of his life of      
passion4 ,his last words1 in their      
gorgeous rhetoric1 showed with what     
opiates he had drugged his soul3        
,sprinkle me with perfumes1 crown me    
with flowers1 and thus let me sink into 
the eternal sleep4 ,within that very    
month1 a far different death-scene was  
presented across the ,british ,channel4 
,an old man of nearly four-score years  
and ten1 rests peacefully upon his bed1 
surrounded by a company of friends1 who 

feel quite as much joy as grief1 as they
 look upon his face and hear his words4 
,although of frame naturally delicate1  
and of gifts by no means brilliant1 he  
has moved the hearts of myriads by his  
appeals1 and won a name better than that
 of founders of empires4 ,the very week 
previous he had continued his round of  
labors1 and his strength was not abated 
as he pleaded his ,master's cause4 ,he  
sank to his rest in ,god with the words 
of the anthem1    ,i'll praise my ,maker
 with my breath1  on his lips1 and the  
strain which was broken by the touch of 
death seemed to his companions to be    
finished by a voice from the spiritual  
world1 saying3    ,praise shall employ  
my nobler powers2   ,my days of praise  
shall ne'er be past1   ,while life1 and 
thought1 and being last1   ,or          
immortality endures4  ,mirabeau and     
,wesley6 ,thus different are the ends of
 wilful passion and unswerving fidelity4
 ,all lives1 according as they are true 
or false1 renew this contrast4          

99       99       99       99       99  
,behold1 ,i create all things new1 saith
 the ,lord4 ,for good or for ill1 this  
decree must be applied to us4 ,in some  
way we are all changing as the years    
pass4 ,our lives are wasting away1      
unless they are renovated by a truer    
spirit1 and thus winning ever more than 
they lose4 ,what do we most need that   
time may be ever newer and happier1 and 
the hours move on neither with lagging  
weariness nor drunken haste1 but in the 
,divine order marked out for them by    
their ,lord8  ,are there not some things
 to be put off1 as well as some things  
to be put on8 ,answer honestly as we    
look the ,new ,year in the face--answer 
as to a messenger from ,god4 ,what      
weight are we carrying1 that we need to 
lay aside8 ,what evil habit is fixing   
itself upon us1 shutting out the light  
of ,god1 chilling the better affections1
 deadening the nobler powers1 and       
threatening1 perhaps1 beneath its       
insidious smile to take from existence  

more of its beauty and joy and strength8
 ,let each consider well his own        
besetting sin1 and put it off4 ,with the
 falling burden1 scales fall from his   
eyes--he sees ,god anew4 ,for him the   
former things have passed away--all     
things are become new4 ,what makes our  
being fresher and happier than the      
conviction that the coming years are    
better than the past6  ,off with the old
 burdens1 and put on the new armor4     
,there is something for each of us to   
do--something for each one of us        
specific and peculiar as our own        
individuality--something for all of us  
as universal as our common humanity4    
,the specific thing and the universal   
good pursue as if for life itself4 ,god 
bless us in the striving1 and crown us  
in the work4 ,each year in its sober    
experience give us new hopes for        
ourselves and the future of our race4   
,new ,year4     ,solicitude of ,parents 
,,solicitude ,,of ,,parents4   ,our     
thoughts turn now more particularly to  

the circle of home relations1 and we    
propose to give some plain views of them
 with an especial eye to the temptations
 of city life4 ,the duty of parents is  
the topic first in order4  ,few if any  
words are given in the ,scriptures to   
persuading parents to love their        
children1 or to wish to provide for     
them4 ,the affection is taken for       
granted1 and they who have it not are   
set aside by themselves as monsters4 ,if
 any provide not for his own1 and       
especially for those of his own house1  
he hath denied the faith and is worse   
than an infidel4  ,it is not upon the   
parental sentiment itself1 but upon its 
due direction1 that ,christianity rests 
its emphasis2 as well it may1 for what  
sentiment has gone more astray from the 
true mark1 and in mistaken kindness hurt
 those whom it would most bless4 ,what  
man1 asks our ,saviour1 would give his  
son a stone instead of bread1 or a      
serpent instead of a fish8 ,not one1 if 
he really knew it or saw it4 ,yet what  

is more frequent than such wrong        
indirectly done8         99       99    
99       99       99  ,take the first   
and most obvious form of parental       
solicitude1 the form literally connected
 with the question just cited--we mean  
the physical maintenance of children4   
,it would be wasting words in this or   
any respectable assembly1 to try to     
prove that parents should provide food  
and clothing for their offspring4 ,yet  
here1 and every where1 in our mode of   
making this provision1 many very grave  
questions may arise4 ,kind feeling is   
not enough4 ,without knowledge and      
forethought1 we may hurt where we wish  
to help--we may kill where we wish to   
cure4 ,at every step we need better     
counsel than any instinctive fondness1  
or childish caprice1 or worldly fashion4
 ,the ,creator has a lesson for us in   
the use of all his gifts1 and if we do  
not heed it1 what we give as bread may  
turn out a stone1 and what seems to us a
 fish may sting like a serpent4  ,in    

providing food1 clothing1 air1 exercise1
 for our children1 we are to study those
 solemn and inexorable laws which ,god  
has enacted for the rule of the body4   
,in this lower court of creation there  
is no pardoning power1 and the wrong    
done to the constitution in childhood is
 a wrong for a lifetime4 ,we apprehend  
that in no one point is our ,american   
society more in error and more at       
variance1 not only with natural laws1   
but even with the best ,european        
standard1 than in the physical education
 of children4 ,they are fed often on the
 trash of the confectioner1 instead of  
the simple aliments nearest the hints of
 nature1 and by improper dress and hours
 they are forced into a precocious      
maturity of mind and body1 equally      
hurtful to both4  ,does any one doubt   
the importance or dignity of such       
caution8 ,the doubt vanishes the moment 
we see the connection between physical  
education1 and the whole tone of thought
 and feeling--nay1 the entire aim of    

life4 ,the tastes for food1 and dress1  
and amusement1 cherished in children of 
tender years1 may be committing them to 
a judicious or a corrupt method of      
life--may be their initiation into a    
school of self-control and wisdom1 or   
passion and extravagance4 ,the drunkard1
 the sot1 nay1 the debauchee1 may date  
their wretchedness from childhood4 ,many
 a family has been ruined by habits of  
extravagance that began in the finery   
and feasting of the nursery4 ,they that 
dwell in cities should take close heed  
to the prevalent danger1 and not think  
themselves safe merely because they do  
as other people do4 ,consider how common
 the error is to mistake precocity for  
promise--to disturb the sacred reserve  
of nature--to tear open the curtained   
bud of childhood1 and boast of the      
forced growth so ruinous to the tender  
plant1 and then let us learn anew to    
respect the bidding of the ,creator and 
follow his appointed way4 ,here we      
should be willing to take a stand as    

nonconformists1 and have it appear in   
the beginning1 that we are not educating
 our children to be the apes of the     
world's fashions1 or slaves of its      
caprices1 but to be rational and moral  
creatures1 a blessing to their home and 
community1 a light in the kingdom of    
,god4 ,let them learn early to find     
happiness in common things--to enjoy    
simple pleasures--to love the glow of   
healthful action above the fever of     
artificial excitements1 the constant    
bounties of nature beyond the costly    
gifts of luxury4  ,what we have said    
applies more directly to providing for  
children during their tender years4 ,in 
rude communities here the care mostly   
stops1 and the boy at least1 as soon as 
he is strong enough to be master of his 
limbs1 is left pretty much to take care 
of himself4 ,but as society becomes more
 refined and luxurious1 it is very      
obvious that the solicitude of parents  
looks more towards providing for the    
maturer years than for the minority of  

their children4 ,it becomes1 perhaps1   
the absorbing question1 how shall we    
establish them properly in life--what   
effort or self-denial must we use to    
secure their future success8--a great   
question1 and one which troubles many an
 earnest mind1 and heaves society itself
 with misgivings4  ,it often presents   
itself in a very tangible form1 and by  
some is confined to one point--to       
concern for property4 ,i will not       
disparage the desire of parents to      
secure a comfortable living to their    
children4 ,but it is safe to say that   
this desire is strong enough when       
compared with matters more essential    
even in their bearing on a comfortable  
living4 ,surely the chief assurance of a
 sufficient livelihood is a good        
practical education4 ,a reasonable man  
will not think it important to leave    
more than a frugal competence to his    
children1 yet he ought to think himself 
unkind1 nay cruel1 if he spare any labor
 or sacrifice needed to educate them to 

do their part effectively and happily in
 the world4 ,a large inheritance is     
easily lost1 and may be retained without
 adding any happiness or dignity to its 
owner or the community1 but a good      
education stands by its possessor2 the  
strength of his trials and the ornament 
of his joys4  ,we need to look well to  
this at a time when1 under the very name
 of education1 foul wrong is done to the
 active energies1 and a systematic      
imbecility of mind and body has the     
stamp of elegance4 ,that only is a good 
education which so stores the mind and  
brings out the powers as to fit one to  
take an honest place in life1 and do    
well the work given us to do4 ,such a   
culture will have an eye upon the       
uncertainties of fortune1 and prepare   
the pupil to provide for himself1 and   
all who are reasonably dependent upon   
him4 ,such a culture it is the duty of  
every parent to give1 and the right of  
every child to receive4 ,it is clear1   
however1 that it cannot be given without

 going in the face of many dainty       
prejudices1 which are so ready to pamper
 unreasonable wants and slight the plain
 utilities4 ,the ,hebrew laws required1 
that children1 even those of nobles     
should be taught some useful art1 and   
the ,saviour of men and the chief of his
 apostles were bred in accordance with  
this law4 ,there is no security against 
shameful servitude short of this1 that a
 youth shall have enough in himself1    
know enough1 and can do enough1 to take 
and keep an honorable place in the      
world4 ,too often this great truth is   
slighted1 and men toil in such a way as 
to procure for their children a dainty  
training that enlarges the surface of   
their wants1 whilst it lessens the      
domain of their energies1 and so puts a 
mill-stone upon a son's back1 whilst    
thinking to give him bread4  ,yet more  
sternly we must carry out the doctrine  
of the need of an education essentially 
self-relying4 ,the father has and should
 have more tender solicitude for the    

daughter than the son1 and there is no  
affection that the blessed ,god has     
breathed into the human heart more      
beautiful and holy than this1 giving as 
it does such grace to the rudest and the
 most refined homes1 teaching gentle    
speech to many a rough peasant1 and     
imbuing the most cultivated man with a  
delicacy and tenderness beyond any of   
the charms of courts or chivalry4 ,yet  
this sentiment needs to be wise as well 
as kind2 nay1 wise in order to be kind2 
and a just father will strive to train  
his daughter to be equal to either      
fortune4 ,however large or small his    
fortune1 he will remember its           
uncertainties1 and beware of sanctioning
 the too prevalent folly which regards  
woman as born to be petted and          
dependent1 and brands a rational and    
self-relying education as masculine and 
ungraceful4 ,if we have our eyes open1  
we must see the wretchedness of this    
system1 and regard every daughter as    
cruelly treated who is not enabled      

without loss of self-respect1 in case of
 need1 to take a stand for herself1 and 
prefer to an uncongenial marriage or a  
degrading dependence1 reliance upon her 
own arts of accomplishment or utility4  
,the same preparation that fits her to  
meet the time of trial1 fits her to     
adorn prosperity1 and to be that noble  
creature1 the woman who guides an       
affluent household with energy and love1
 and who adds to the graces most prized 
in the social circle the grace that is  
born of ,god and radiates the light of  
,heaven4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,of course it is utterly   
idle to urge the need of such an        
education for sons and daughters1 by    
limiting its uses solely to worldly     
advantage4 ,we go up to the true basis  
of life for firm ground to build upon4  
,take that ground decidedly1 and then we
 view all true culture as part of the   
training of souls under the ,kingdom of 
,god4 ,we are not to live by bread      
alone1 but by every ,divine word1 by all

 of ,god's gifts to us4 ,they are cruel 
parents who slight the moral and        
spiritual wants of their children and   
train them in worldly passions4 ,this   
is1 in the saddest sense1 giving them a 
stone instead of the ,bread of ,life4   
,so we all think and are ready to say4  
,take care lest our conduct belies our  
words4 ,whatever its position or        
professions may be1 that is a wretched  
household1 whose polity is not based    
upon a ,divine standard--which does not 
acknowledge a rectitude above the       
world's ways and breathe faith in ,god  
and things eternal4 ,the very discipline
 of a true home will be modelled after  
the heavenly order1 and will try to win 
the spirit of the benignant ,father of  
all1 who tempers firmness with kindness 
so wonderfully in the government of his 
creatures4  ,firmness is not            
enough--kindness is not enough1 but the 
two must go together4 ,firmness without 
kindness becomes the stony austerity    
that crushes the will into servile      

conformity instead of training it to    
filial obedience2 kindness without      
firmness readily becomes a feeble       
expediency that changes with the hour in
 a facility serpentine in more senses   
than one4 ,firmness with kindness gives 
a discipline authoritative and flexible1
 applying just principles in a mild     
prudence suited to all times and needs4 
,of old perhaps the rigid temper most   
abounded1 and austerity made parental   
rule a rod of iron2 but now the other   
extreme most prevails1 and a feeble     
indulgence allows self-will to be the   
law of childhood1 and fosters in many a 
dwelling a juvenile jacobinism1 which   
needs only time and chance to ripen into
 utter anarchy4 ,this error does cruel  
wrong to parent and child--to the child 
by fostering an ungovernable temper1 a  
perverse caprice that scoffs at all     
restraint and chafes even at the        
limitations which ,god has imposed2 to  
the parent by bringing upon him the     
contempt of those who owe him respect1  

and by the painful conviction that the  
indulgence begun in apparent kindness   
has been as fatal as wilful severity4   
,away with the folly and the puny       
sentimentalism from which it springs6   
,let us look at the law of ,god founded 
in the written ,word and in the very    
nature of things4 ,the family is the    
safeguard of society--a government      
founded by ,heaven itself4 ,parents are 
to rule1 children are to obey4 ,this    
principle1 if carried out with energy   
and discretion1 will adapt itself to the
 various ages and circumstances of life4
 ,the element of authority will be      
imbued with the attractive power of the 
truth and love upon which it rests1 and 
as the child grows into youth or        
maturity1 the authority that trained    
him1 without losing its dignity1 will   
appear less and less an arbitrary       
will--nay1 authority itself will seem   
but the sterner aspect of persuasion4   
,for all this we need an unworldly faith
 and a spiritual mind4 ,they that would 

nurture others in the true life must    
themselves be nurtured upon its true    
element4 ,for themselves they must      
breathe the prayer for daily bread in a 
true sense of its meaning--a true sense 
of dependence on ,god for moral power as
 for bodily strength4 ,nothing short of 
a temper and purpose truly religious    
will make the household a school of     
faith and a home of wisdom and peace4   
,we are apt to be too negligent1 indeed1
 of modes of instruction and forms of   
worship4 ,too often a parent neglects to
 tell his children what is deepest in   
his own heart1 and with many not wholly 
worldly persons1 the years pass away    
without any regular habits of ,christian
 teaching and worship in the family4    
,the remedy cannot come from mere       
formalism1 but it must spring from a    
truer heart--more of the right spirit   
showing itself in the right way--in all 
wisdom and prudence1 charity and        
devotion4  ,speaking thus1 who of us    
does not see a startling thought staring

 us in the face--the thought that our   
own personal character is the measure of
 our influence1 and that we cannot      
expect to teach or impress what we have 
not taken to our own hearts4 ,we cannot 
cheat our children into the virtue which
 we affect1 for they will find us out1  
and distinguish what we do and are1 from
 what we say4 ,influence cannot rise    
above the level of character1 nor the   
fountain above the fountain-head4 ,what 
motive to a truer life--what warning    
against vice and godlessness--what      
encouragement in all good--that the     
chief patrimony of children is the      
character of their parents1 and with    
this treasure small gifts are wealth1   
and without this treasure rich gifts are
 poor indeed4 ,unhappy is the man who   
leaves to his children the influence of 
a heart hard as stone and a worldliness 
wily as a serpent6 ,precious the        
influence--blessed the memory of a      
parent1 whose life has made the ways of 
wisdom pleasant and peaceful1 secured to

 his offspring a childhood pure and     
happy1 given a sacred and cheerful      
remembrance to be the handmaid of an    
immortal hope4  ,the affections1 it has 
been said1 press downward more strongly 
than they rise upward1 and parents love 
their children more than children can   
love them in return4 ,if this were so1  
it would but the more illustrate the    
fact1 that life is not utterly selfish1 
and men live not for themselves alone4  
,it is true1 that we do not live for    
ourselves alone4 ,the merchant at his   
counting-houses has thoughts beyond his 
gold and merchandize--visions more fair 
and kindly than these2 and the          
hard-handed workman who does his ruder  
labor1 spares of his earnings for his   
children at school4 ,but the love is not
 all on one side1 although time may be  
needed to adjust the balance1 and teach 
childhood to appreciate a true parental 
care4 ,god holds the balance1 and will  
make it true4 ,in the motive and in the 
result1 he secures the reward of        

fidelity4 ,time and eternity will show1 
that the love which he has inspired     
shall win harvests of blessings that    
cannot perish4     ,reverence in        
,children4     ,,reverence ,,in         
,,children4   ,the ,ten ,commandments1  
the foundations of all law1 both        
religious and civil1 among civilized    
nations1 are divided1 all are aware1    
into two tables3 the first treating of  
duties relating directly to ,god--the   
second treating of duties relating to   
man--the two covering the essential     
grounds of religion and morals4 ,the    
command to honor father and mother      
begins the second table of the ,law4    
,why should it not8 for what so fitly   
stands at the head of the moral code1 as
 the law that puts order into the       
household8 ,the family is the form of   
government1 first in time and first in  
importance4 ,home is older than church  
or court2 a parent's authority prior to 
that of priest or judge4 ,with the      
family1 social order began--without     

family union1 social order must end4    
,there is something striking in the     
transition from the first to the second 
table--the transition from ,jehovah's   
assertion of his own sovereignty to his 
tender regard for the welfare of men4   
,we seem to be looking down from the    
awful mountain with its barren crags    
into the peaceful valley with its       
pleasant homes and grassy lawns1        
rejoicing that the summits pealing with 
thunder send down refreshing breezes and
 fruitful showers into those plains     
below4  ,looking up to ,god1 who claims 
of us supreme homage as his due1 and    
then in his own sovereign right urges   
upon us to fulfil our dues to each      
other1 we speak now of the duties of    
children or the honor to be rendered by 
them to parents4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,do any ask what  
are the grounds of the ,commandments8   
,the grounds are obvious1 and the law1  
which ,god enacts1 instead of being an  
arbitrary decree1 is in entire harmony  

with the nature of things4 ,it would    
perhaps be needless to dwell on these   
grounds1 were there not something in the
 temper of our times1 that calls them in
 question--in fact1 certain notions of  
intellectual liberty among theorists1   
that combine with the passions and      
caprices of youth to unsettle many a    
household1 and threaten the peace of    
society itself4 ,against the            
sentimentalist1 who makes light of all  
natural ties to glorify the individual's
 own intuitions or affinities1 and      
against the little rebel1 who comes to  
the same conclusion by a much shorter   
process1 we urge the ,divine law1 ,honor
 thy father and thy mother4  ,honor     
them1 because ,god bids it1 and bids it 
not merely in the written code1 but by  
the whole order of his providence1 by   
the very constitution of society4       
,however we may dispute about the best  
form or true foundation of              
government--maintain monarchy1          
aristocracy1 or democracy1 to be the    

best form--declare ,divine law1 social  
compact1 or popular will1 to be the true
 foundation1 all must agree in the      
,divine origin of the family and the    
,divine right of parental government4   
,the instincts of nature1 the words of  
revelation1 the dictates of experience  
and expediency1 all agree in this1 and  
all illustrate the mind of ,god1 the    
,creator of the family4 ,the mind of    
,god himself speaks or should speak     
through the parent to the child1 so1    
that filial obedience is fitly another  
name for piety2 so1 that prayer itself  
borrows its most hallowed word from the 
reverence nurtured at home4  ,trace out 
the law of dependence1 and see how fully
 it urges the commandment--the law of   
dependence that rests with parents so   
much of the welfare of the child4 ,not  
merely food1 clothing1 and home1 but all
 the higher goods of life1 experience1  
wisdom1 virtue1 are to be looked for    
thus4 ,as a general rule1 benignant     
,providence itself has its chosen       

almoner in father and mother1 and the   
gifts are blessed as they are received  
in reverence4 ,we may indeed suppose    
monstrous cases1 in which unnatural     
parents exact such folly or wrong1 that 
obedience ceases to be a virtue4 ,such  
cases are not frequent enough to alter  
the general law1 and even in these1 a   
true child1 in refusing to conform to   
what is evil in the sight of ,god1 will 
do it in such a way as still to keep the
 commandment1 and treat tenderly even a 
perverse father1 and expostulate with   
his tyranny in a temper fitted more to  
subdue than irritate its violence4 ,such
 monstrous cases need little notice in  
any ,christian community1 where parents 
are generally ready enough to do the    
best1 and give the most in their power  
for their children4 ,in fact1 for them1 
the ,decalogue has no law1 as if nature 
needed no decree to enforce parental    
love1 and the affections of themselves  
pressed heavily enough downwards4 ,the  
great need was and is of enforcing the  

obligation1 that looks upward from child
 to parent4 ,our modern culture1 with   
all its scope and refinement1 has no    
substitute for this obligation2 nay1    
needs it more than ever to check the    
wilfulness and laxity so likely to come 
from precocious fancy and unbridled     
temper4 ,experience is constantly       
showing1 that even the external promise 
connected with the commandment meets the
 wants of our own times also1 and now1  
as of old1 filial obedience secures an  
efficient life and peaceful             
civilization1--that it may be well with 
thee1 and that thy days may be long in  
the land which the ,lord thy ,god shall 
give4 ,how many bright and dark chapters
 of recent history show how close is the
 connection between stability of society
 and filial respect--between allegiance 
to every worthy institution and the     
discipline that learns to regard a      
superior authority at home4 ,this       
outward sanction the ,gospel accepts1   
and carries it into the spiritual       

kingdom4 ,by many a precept the apostles
 enforce the command1 and by word and   
example1 by the beatitudes of the mount1
 and the obedience of the cross1 our    
,saviour imparts new blessing and worth 
to its observance4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,we have a        
foundation then to build upon1 and      
filial respect rests upon the ,word of  
,god1 the welfare of the home1 the good 
of society1 and the peace of the soul4  
,let the sentiment be worthy of the     
,divine foundation4 ,if worthy it will  
appear first of all as a feeling of     
affectionate reverence4 ,it will not be 
worship as with the ,chinese absolutist1
 nor mere friendship1 as in the code of 
many a radical4 ,the parent is of the   
same nature with the child1 and is not  
to be adored2 he is superior in age1    
experience and authority1 and should    
have more than the friendly courtesy of 
an equal4 ,superior in degree1 though   
not in kind1 he is to be regarded with  
affectionate respect and deference4 ,any

 subjection more or less than this comes
 of wrong1 and leads to wrong4 ,to exact
 utter servitude is tyranny--to lower   
reasonable authority into flattery1     
entreaty1 or apology1 is an imbecile    
indulgence which a child should be as   
unwilling to ask as a parent to give4   
,if any hearers are ready to quarrel    
with us for presuming to define the     
quality and conditions of one of the    
great social sentiments1 and to say that
 all the affections are best let alone  
without any forcing process1 we are not 
troubled for a reply4 ,no modern folly  
has been more thoroughly put down by    
analysis and experience1 than the       
sentimentalist's notion1 that the       
affections are wholly their own law1 and
 are not to be trained under reason1    
conscience and religion4 ,even in those 
sentiments which have most of the       
spontaneous play of genius--those which 
rejoice in poetry1 music1 and all the   
beautiful arts1 the perceptions must    
first be trained to the nicest sense of 

the truth of things1 and the rigid      
discipline of every true artist shames  
the folly of the dreamers who would make
 it appear1 that the great art of life1 
as a school of the affections1 is to be 
left to itself4 ,no--our principles have
 vast power over our feelings1 and they 
who from the beginning are trained to   
accept the great loyalties of a divine  
kingdom1 will be loyal in their         
affections as in their creed1 and their 
affections will come forth and grow up  
as the vine does by help of the very    
trellis which overlooks it4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,the     
filial sentiment thus accepted and      
nurtured will not be idle1 but will show
 itself in the tone of manners1 the rule
 of conduct1 the law of life4  ,manners 
are but lesser morals1 and closely      
connected with the greater morals4 ,good
 manners begin at home1 and if they do  
not begin there1 the desire for them is 
apt to end in poor affectation4 ,the    
soul of politeness is mutual deference1 

and where should this have its origin   
but in the respect most directly        
sanctioned by ,god8 ,too often the true 
filial honor is forgotten1 and1 perhaps1
 from thoughtlessness more than         
disrespect1 children are sometimes seen 
usurping the prerogatives of age1       
speaking in tones of petulant authority1
 and crowding themselves into the places
 of elders4 ,the best place for them is 
their own place4 ,their own dignity1 as 
well as that of their parents1 is best  
furthered by the deference1 that gives  
the household its best order and makes  
it the school of the graces1 that adorn 
society with its pleasing gradations1   
and cheer the way to its best virtues4  
,full enough is the temptation1         
especially in cities1 to fall short of  
this true deference and to rob childhood
 and youth of their best character4     
,manners1 instead of being nurtured on  
the ,christian root1 are left too much  
to the dancing-master1 and there are    
hosts of boys and girls adept in        

postures and airs proper for the ballet1
 and strangers to the reverence and     
simplicity that most honor them in      
honoring their elders4 ,precocious      
passion for dress and society is the    
bane of the one1 and ridiculous         
affectation of manhood1 especially of   
its follies1 is the shame of the other4 
,the girl1 instead of being calmly at   
rest in a child's healthful slumber1 is 
aping the belle in the ball-room2 and   
the boy is walking the street with his  
cigar1 perhaps boasting of his powers at
 the bottle1 instead of being where he  
should be1 in his bed1 getting strength 
for true manliness1 not fevering himself
 into a ludicrous manikin4 ,learn to    
show piety at home1 is thus another form
 of the ancient law1 ,honor thy father  
and thy mother4  ,the sentiment so      
essential to good manners will show     
itself as a rule of conduct1 and filial 
honor will take the form of obedience4  
,during the years of dependence this    
obedience is to be entire1 for the      

parent must think and act for the child4
 ,no matter what precocity of memory or 
imagination1 what privileges of         
education or amount of attainments1 may 
seem sometimes to reverse the order of  
precedence1 the child is to follow the  
parent's counsels1 and in so doing will 
gain alike in wisdom and discipline1 for
 the experience of age is wiser than the
 pert wit of youth1 and submission to a 
superior will is essential to a true    
schooling for the vicissitudes of life4 
,it is not well to overstrain           
prerogative1 and to insist on obedience 
as a sacrifice1 where it might be made  
an attraction1 if the reasons of the    
case are fully set forth4 ,nor is it    
well to make obedience wholly dependent 
upon a statement of reasons1 for many   
things must be done for reasons that    
youth cannot appreciate1 and kindness is
 never so decided as when the impatient 
shortsightedness of childhood is        
overruled by the far-seeing wisdom of   
maturity4 ,reason there should be in    

every request2 but if the request were  
allowed to wait until the reasons could 
be understood1 parental care would cease
 with the first restraint1 and childhood
 would be left to itself at the first   
task or pain4 ,god himself is our helper
 here1 for he1 who calls us in so many  
things to walk by faith without sight1  
has fitted youth for the same           
discipline1 and made mild authority in  
the end more attractive and efficient   
than premature argument or feeble       
flattery4  ,obedience1 thus considered1 
will not be servile but filial1 and will
 find its own honor in doing honor to   
its guardians4 ,it will lead children to
 ask constantly what they can do for the
 happiness of the family and the welfare
 of its members4 ,this duty is too      
little thought of1 especially where     
there is none of that pressure of want  
which compels children to help in the   
maintenance of the family4 ,no matter   
how great the wealth of parents or the  
retinue of servants on the watch for    

every care1 there is still place for the
 earnest co-operation of each member of 
the family1 and no refinements of living
 have abolished the duty of mutual help1
 and the grace of mutual deference4 ,in 
most families the services of the       
children are needed for many friendly   
offices of greater or less importance1  
and none will deny that the comfort of  
every household is closely connected    
with what the children do or fail to do 
for its welfare4 ,so early does the     
work1 the responsible work of life      
begin1 and so early may its springs of  
beneficence be opened4  ,let any true   
household illustrate what we mean4 ,what
 beauty in the filial confidence that   
reveals its troubles and needs1 and asks
 counsel of superior wisdom6 ,what      
comfort in the countless little services
 that lighten a father or mother's care1
 or soothe their troubles6 ,what grace  
in the unbought courtesies that youth   
may throw around the home1 the refined  
deference1 the kind remembrances too    

often left to the parade of             
drawing-rooms1 but the proper ornament  
of the family circle6 ,what power over  
the pains of sickness1 or the languor of
 convalescence1 in the solicitude and   
consideration which children may show1  
and showing1 may bring to the weary     
pillow a balm more healing than medical 
art6 ,and if stinted means require      
frugal expenditures1 or even the active 
labor of the young1 what worth in the   
filial thoughtfulness that anticipates  
the necessary economy1 instead of       
repining encourages frugality1 and asks 
to be useful instead of insisting on    
being indulged4  ,and when fortune1     
station1 or intellectual eminence reward
 youthful aspiration1 the aspirant never
 wins more respect than when he makes   
his parents his confidants and          
companions4 ,here our common nature is  
not at fault1 for whenever in any public
 exercise or examination a young person 
does remarkably well1 we all think at   
once of the parents1 and the pleasure of

 the assembly is not complete until the 
people have confirmed their own         
enjoyment by sympathy with the father   
and mother4 ,there is great power in    
this fact1 and what it implies--great   
power in the fact that children honor   
parents by being truly honorable1 and   
repay best the sacrifices of so many    
anxious years by making their own lives 
a credit and comfort to father and      
mother4 ,this benefit lasts as long as  
life itself1 and the integrity and      
efficiency of mature years carries out  
to the limit of existence the           
affectionate reverence of childhood4    
,here the whole world is one1 and the   
human heart is the same in all ages1 and
 history and experience meet4 ,what     
state of society can be blind to the    
meaning of the imprecation which was    
pronounced at the entrance into the     
promised land1 and joined in the same   
doom the idolator and him who should set
 light by his father and mother8 ,what  
philosophy can gainsay the sage of the  

,book of ,proverbs1 whose sententious   
moralizing rises into prophetic grandeur
 as he speaks of the unnatural son3 ,the
 eye that mocketh at his father or      
refuseth to obey his mother1 the ravens 
of the valley shall pick it out1 and the
 young eagles shall eat it4 ,who needs  
any interpretation of the feelings of   
,david1 or ,joseph1 or ,solomon1 in     
their joy or trial8 ,how heartrending   
was the grief of the ,psalmist over his 
recreant son--,would to ,god1 ,i had    
died for thee1 my son1 my son6 ,what    
beauty1 as well as simplicity in the    
inquiry of ,joseph for his father1 when 
the prime minister of ,egypt dismissed  
his courtly train1 and weeping aloud1   
could only ask ,doth my father yet live8
 ,what grandeur far above its gold and  
gems surrounded the throne of ,solomon1 
when he rose to meet his mother1 and    
called her to a seat at his right hand4 
,and the king said unto her1 ,ask on1 my
 mother1 for ,i will not say thee nay4  
,what pathos and sublimity in the       

,saviour of men1 when1 embracing home   
and heaven in his parting words on the  
,cross1 he commended his spirit to the  
,eternal ,father1 and intrusted his     
mother to the beloved disciple's care4  
,we need no more than this to show how  
the gospel glorifies the law1 and crowns
 its morality and piety alike in its    
perfect love--,woman1 behold thy        
son--,disciple1 behold thy mother4      
,hear the amen that goes from ,calvary  
to ,sinai--and ,honor thy father and thy
 mother6     ,brothers and ,sisters4    
,,brothers ,,and ,,sisters4   ,when     
,cain asked ,am ,i my brother's keeper8 
it seemed a very strange question to    
come from a man who had just murdered   
his brother and held him so cruelly in  
his keeping4 ,fear led ,cain to disguise
 his guilt by repudiating his           
obligation1 through an interrogation    
more negative than a flat denial4 ,what 
he said in guilty fear1 many are now    
ready to say in pretended humanity1 and 
it is one of the conceits of our time to

 make light of ties of kindred in the   
name of a world-wide philanthropy4 ,a   
melo-dramatic patriotism not            
particularly famous for domestic        
attachment has been ready to swear      
brotherhood to the whole nation1 perhaps
 the whole race1 and many a scape-grace 
who has been a sad plague to his own    
kindred1 has been heard shouting at the 
top of his voice the three noble        
watchwords of which fraternity is a     
climax4 ,philanthropists sometimes labor
 under a similar error1 and people who  
have had no especial solicitude or      
felicity in helping their own families  
and neighbors1 presume to despise such  
near at hand interests as trivial1 and  
seek to reform the world in a wholesale 
way4 ,professed ,christians are not     
wholly free from the error4 ,some       
certainly there are who are ready to    
brother and sister all ,christendom with
 most profuse generosity of tongue1 who 
show their little sense of the meaning  
of the term by pinching selfishness     

towards those of their own blood1 that  
seems to say1 ,am ,i my brother's       
keeper8  ,it is well1 that large views  
of social obligation are making headway1
 and that ,christianity has so mightily 
rebuked the narrowness of exclusive     
cliques and clanships4 ,but if humanity 
is to be true in its progress1 it must  
be true in its source2 and if a man love
 not his brother whom he hath seen1 how 
can he love not merely ,god whom he hath
 not seen1 but the brother whom he hath 
not seen8 ,in fact what is regard for   
our brother but the first and most      
obvious application of the second of the
 two great commandments8 ,our brother is
 our next neighbor1 and even our        
humanity must begin with him1 that it   
may be really worth any thing4 ,we turn 
now to the collateral relations of the  
household1 or the duties of brothers and
 sisters4 ,sacred and suggestive        
subject1 speaking to each of us in the  
tones of our own peculiar experience4   
,let it speak to the conscience as well 

as to the sensibilities and the memory4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,where shall we begin but at the        
beginning1 that is with the will of     
,god1 which is the ground of every duty8
 ,the family1 as we have seen and       
believe1 is the first form of society1 a
 government founded by the ,creator4    
,all that can be said in favor of its   
peace and order1 goes to set forth its  
collateral as well as its ascending and 
descending ties--to urge the obligations
 of brothers and sisters as well as     
parents and children4 ,co-operation     
between the former is as essential to   
the home1 as are protection and         
dependence between the latter4  ,but to 
come more closely to the point1 is it   
not true that proper respect for parents
 urges the duty now under consideration 
and just filial love must needs be      
fraternal8 ,children cannot be true to  
their parents without being true to each
 other1 and the welfare and charm of the
 household depends in no small degree   

upon the mutual help and moral harmony  
of its younger members4 ,children are   
not regarded as so many separate units1 
but as an organic whole1 as members one 
of another2 and when they are           
considerate and harmonious1 they have   
new grace and worth in the parent's eye1
 more so to his heart1 than the features
 of the fairest landscape where the     
particulars combine in the whole1 and   
light1 shade1 grove and river1 hill and 
valley--fair in themselves1 are fairer  
together1 can possibly have to the eye  
of the lover of nature4 ,what under the 
heavens is more pleasant and lovely than
 brethren who with all their differences
 of taste and temperament still agree in
 aim and spirit8 ,it is indeed like the 
dew of ,hermon1 that threw its silver   
veil over mountain and valley1 and      
refreshed and beautified each tree and  
flower with a baptism from heaven4  ,but
 this relation of fraternal love to     
filial is but one of its aspects4       
,brothers and sisters are related by    

what they owe directly to each other1 as
 well as by what they owe to parents4   
,the will of ,god1 that bids them agree 
for their parents' sake1 bids them also 
agree for their own sake4 ,mutual       
educators of each other they must be1   
and by means far more powerful than     
school-books or lessons4 ,they are      
constantly together1 and this           
intercourse must be a selfish collision1
 if it be not a friendly reciprocity4   
,in childhood1 they must needs be       
frequent rivals for the favors and      
duties of the home1 subjects of         
indulgences or sacrifices1 that must    
awaken strife1 unless they are shared in
 mutual deference4 ,with childhood1     
however1 the relation does not end1 but 
may have in mature years its gravest    
importance1 for in the order of nature  
parents are likely to be first taken    
from the world1 and to all human view   
they may be beyond the reach of kindness
 or unkindness4 ,but the relation of    
children to each other promises to last 

far longer1 may create between the elder
 and younger a relation parental as well
 as filial1 and for good or ill it must 
in some way continue as long as life    
itself4 ,how essential1 then1 that a tie
 so enduring should be rightly regarded1
 and that in childhood1 youth and       
maturity1 it should keep its benignant  
hold over the family6  ,nor does its    
importance end here4 ,the method of ,god
 is1 that the affections shall grow     
outward from within1 and that being     
trained in kindness at home1 men should 
be prepared to show good will to each   
other in all the concerns of life4 ,as  
the patriarchal dispensation1 in the    
grand course of ages1 widened into the  
universality of the gospel1 so in every 
true life1 a just family culture is to  
expand into a generous humanity1 that   
learns at home how to speak of a broader
 brotherhood1 and a higher fatherhood4  
,whether ,god's method is not wiser than
 man's let experience show by           
contracting the windy declamation1 that 

mistakes rhetorical generalities for    
comprehensive benevolence1 and the      
judicious1 unostentatious beneficence   
that carries out in all its relations   
the sober good will cherished in a      
wholesome household discipline1 and so  
on a true pattern strives to build up   
the larger household of faith4 ,the one 
begins at the root1 and so branches out 
in blessing--the other would begin with 
the branches1 which wither away when    
parted from the root4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,so then 
in the will of ,god1 revealed in the    
constitution of the family1 the welfare 
of its members1 the spirit of humanity1 
we find the foundation of the duties of 
brothers and sisters4 ,the fraternal    
sentiment must be in accordance4 ,in all
 our affections1 there must needs be    
some lights and shades that depend upon 
the individual's gifts and experience1  
for no man is a rule for all1 and we    
must differ in our likings as in our    
looks4 ,yet all primal obligations have 

essential features in common2 and the   
fraternal sentiment1 although less      
instructive than the parental1 and more 
complex than the filial1 has quite as   
decidedly a character of its own4 ,the  
phrenologist may not locate it in a     
special organ of the brain1 and the     
metaphysician may not make of it an     
instinct by itself1 but it has its root 
none the less in nature1 and loses no   
interest from expanding so generously   
under true associations and culture4    
,when true1 the fraternal sentiment     
unites congeniality with consanguinity1 
and developes friendship from kindred   
blood1 as the parted branches open into 
leaves1 and blossoms1 and fruits1       
kindred in their aims as their source4  
,its nature is better shown by tracing  
out its just influence than by          
attempting to arrest its flitting shades
 of hue1 or to analyze its constituent  
elements4 ,here1 too1 is the practical  
bearing of the subject1 a bearing which 
many slight far more from               

thoughtlessness than from indifference4 
,in what light are brothers or sisters  
called to regard each other8  ,their    
first obvious duty is that of due       
consideration for each other4 ,they are 
to consider each other's circumstances1 
needs1 trials1 dispositions1            
opportunities1 and never allow          
selfishness or indifference to blind    
them to what belongs to them in common4 
,does this need to be said of persons   
who are so near1 as of necessity to be  
always in each other's thoughts8 ,ah1   
what is more frequent and obvious1 than 
that familiarity tempts indifference1   
and that our very primal duties1 like   
the stars which are their emblems1 are  
easily forgotten because they may at any
 time be seen8 ,the things most         
significant are likely to be near at    
hand1 and religion1 like philosophy1    
finds its chief triumphs in opening the 
meaning of what ,god has brought to our 
very door4 ,a part of the power of      
absence from home lies in breaking the  

spell of familiarity1 and leading the   
absent one to look impartially upon the 
familiar circle1 and upon his own place 
and conduct there4 ,many a youth or     
maiden has returned from a journey or   
voyage wiser far in sense of home duties
 than proud of the accomplishments of   
travel4 ,true consideration will not    
need absence to teach this lesson1 but  
from its calm point of view the absent  
one will survey the common spheres of   
life1 and try to live for others as     
under the eye of ,god4  ,in each family 
there will be decided need for mutual   
consideration1 and there must be strife1
 unless there is mutual deference4 ,all 
cannot have all the favors1 and the     
division of them may embroil a household
 as bitterly as the division of an      
empire has embroiled rival heirs of     
thrones4 ,where means are limited1      
mutual sacrifices not always easy must  
be made1 and few families pass many     
years without feeling the power of      
consideration1 or of selfishness in     

meeting the privations that must go     
round their circle4 ,when means are     
abundant1 and every wish has ready      
wealth at its command1 the form of      
forbearance may change1 but its         
essential spirit is none the less       
needed4 ,there will still be differences
 of talent1 looks1 manners1             
opportunities1 health1 experience1 that 
require in the most prosperous household
 the same virtues1 that give the        
humblest cottage its dignity and peace4 
,in every family1 there will be some    
call for peculiar consideration or      
regard to some member of it1 according  
as sickness1 infirmity1 youth1 age1     
deficient or extraordinary ability1 may 
call upon the stronger to serve the     
weaker4 ,what wretchedness when the call
 is slighted1 even by one6 ,who can     
calculate the mischief wrought by a     
sensual or reckless brother1 who makes  
every thing secondary to his own        
passions and pleasures1 or by a         
frivolous and heartless sister1 who     

makes a god of fashion and enslaves the 
whole house to her monstrous vanity6    
,who1 too1 can calculate the influence  
of a high-minded brother in guiding and 
cheering the younger members of the     
family1 or of a devoted and judicious   
sister in soothing every impatient humor
 with a face in which shines1 perhaps1  
the light of the sainted mother's       
countenance8 ,when all unite in some    
common solicitude1 ,god gives their     
daily bread and cup a sacramental grace1
 and from some sufferer whom they watch 
over together1 a mighty blessing1       
uniting1 exalting them all1 comes forth1
 and seems to say in the sacred name1   
,ye have done it unto me4               
,consideration will lead to confidence1 
and will banish deceit1 that viper of   
society1 from the hearth-stone1 which   
too often warms it into life4 ,let      
confidence begin early1 move the lips   
first lisping for utterance1 and        
continue in maturity1 when the world's  
folly that sometimes names itself       

experience shall try to teach disguise  
as prudence1 and artifice as wisdom4    
,whatever we may think of the confessor1
 as an official person1 confession is   
founded in the nature of things1 and    
,god bids us confess our faults one to  
another4 ,who ought to be confidential1 
if not those whose experience and       
destiny so unite their lives8 ,i cannot 
even glance at the chief forms of this  
confidential relation4 ,one aspect may  
be specified which is too often         
forgotten--that between brother and     
sister4 ,if these were more candid      
advisers1 each would be better for      
it--each imparting to each the counsel  
that each can give4 ,with feminine      
insight and purity1 what a kind and     
gentle1 yet strict and earnest censor of
 youthful excess1 the one may be4 ,with 
manly judgment and honor1 what a firm   
and scrupulous1 yet tender and          
considerate adviser in reference to many
 follies and dangers may the other be4  
,giddy as young people often are in     

their pleasures and caprices1 it has    
sometimes seemed to me1 that if a plan  
of life were to be drawn up by the youth
 of a family for each other1 few        
treatises of morals would surpass it in 
purity of spirit or rectitude of        
principle4 ,some follies would be sure  
to fall4 ,where would intemperance and  
its kindred vices be1 if sisters were   
taken as counsellors8 ,where would      
indecent costumes1 immodest dances1     
equivocal friendships be1 if brothers   
were more frequent advisers8 ,this      
negative influence is not a tithe of the
 worth of the relation1 which ,god in   
his infinite tenderness and wisdom has  
decreed--a relation so able to enrich   
ties of nature by every grace of mind   
and heart1 and from likeness and        
unlikeness of constitution to develope  
one of the finest harmonies of our      
being4 ,its beauty cheers many a dark   
age of ancient rudeness1 and adorns many
 of the brightest chapters of our modern
 culture4 ,would we know what brother   

and sister have been to each other1     
listen to the triumphal song of ,miriam1
 as she braced anew the great heart of  
the law-giver with timbrel and psalm2 or
 look to the grave of ,lazarus1 where   
,mary and ,martha stood with ,him who   
was the ,resurrection and the ,life4 ,do
 we ask more modern instances1 stand    
under the open heavens and remember how 
,caroline ,herschel shared the vigils of
 their illustrious explorer--open the   
pages of ,neander1 and think of her     
whose devotedness made a pleasant home  
of his otherwise solitary study1 and    
encouraged him in his noble work of     
tracing out the progress of the divine  
life throughout all the mazes of        
theological controversy1 and making     
church history a book of the heart1     
instead of the disputatious             
understanding4 ,do we need more--only   
conjecture the number of cases nearer at
 hand in which youth have been          
counselled and helped on through years  
of preparation to their calling or      

profession by a sacrifice that looked   
not to the world for motive1 and asked  
not of the world reward for its success4
  ,i need only name the crowning duty of
 brothers and sisters--the duty of being
 mutual helpers1 for this is implied in 
what we have said of consideration and  
confidence4 ,they whom ,god has so      
united should stand by each other in    
every worthy way--not selfishly exacting
 favors1 but earnest to do good4 ,too   
often the contrary has indeed been the  
case1 and history in most conspicuous   
passages1 from the death of ,abel and   
the exposure of ,joseph to the wars of  
the ,plantagenets and the feuds of the  
,bourbons1 shows that strifes are       
bitterest when nearest home1 and a      
brother offended is indeed harder to be 
won than a strong city1 and their       
contentions are like the bars of a      
castle4 ,less conspicuous1 because less 
monstrous1 are the opposite cases1 and  
,christianity itself leads the noble    
list of fraternal worthies1 by          

presenting in its first disciples so    
many who carried ties of blood into     
bonds of faith1 and strove together to  
the last for the kingdom that would make
 all brothers in ,god4 ,the various     
forms of fraternal aid need not be      
specified1 nor the cases described in   
which the death of parents or peculiar  
circumstances enhance the obligation1   
and the responsibility of parents       
devolves upon the elder children4       
,whatever the age1 the welfare of       
children is closely connected with their
 mutual conduct1 and its power reaches  
not merely to the division of time and  
cares1 but to the highest interests of  
mind and heart4 ,firm principle1        
spiritual faith1 devoted purposes1 act  
and react collaterally with great power1
 and in the social as in the natural    
world1 it is the side light and warmth  
that most applies the cheering rays from
 above4 ,happy the home where true peace
 dwells between kindred1 and all various
 gifts are held in unity of spirit6     

,while the circle remains unbroken1 it  
is strong against the world4 ,when      
broken it is still not desolate1 and the
 orphan is not without a helper4 ,there 
is love enough on earth to join with the
 love that has gone heavenward to make  
life cheerful1 and keep hope firm4  ,let
 all apply these thoughts4 ,children1   
apply them1 and be kind in all you do   
and say4 ,youth1 apply them1 and be     
thoughtful where you are often tempted  
to be reckless4 ,elders1 apply them1 and
 never allow care or worldliness to     
chill the better affections of early    
days4 ,deep in the heart let the old    
home live1 and its pleasant memories1   
brightened by kindly offices1 open ever 
into immortal hopes4 ,old things must   
pass away1 but from the ,christian they 
can only pass away by being all made    
new--new in a spirit1 that remembers    
best when progressing most1 and crowns  
all friendships with charity divine4    
,marriage4     ,,marriage4   ,it is a   
remarkable fact1 that ,he who came to be

 the ,saviour from sin1 whose name is   
coupled with the sorrow that he would   
alleviate1 began his public ministry at 
a marriage1 and gave the first proof of 
his powers amidst its festivities4 ,yet 
why wonder at it--for where should the  
,gospel begin its work if not with the  
union that founds the family and should 
secure every social and moral good8     
,how1 moreover1 could the genius of     
,christianity better show itself than by
 such a practical rebuke of the         
asceticism that scorned the social      
affections1 and would make of life a    
ghostly austerity1 just as if man were  
heavenly by being unearthly8 ,it needs  
no great ingenuity to imagine our       
,lord's feelings1 as with his kindly and
 majestic thought he looked upon that   
scene1 and gave his blessing to the     
youth and maiden who were probably of   
his own kin4 ,he saw all the serious and
 trying aspects of human life even in   
its best estate1 yet none the less gave 
them joy upon their union4  ,it is well 

that he was at that feast4 ,the ages    
since have remembered his presence1 and 
his sacred name1 heard still at the     
marriage1 deepens its memory1 and       
consecrates its joy4 ,the two ideas thus
 connected in fact are connected in     
principle1 and the moralist need not in 
any enlightened community fear to speak 
of the ,christian view of marriage1 or  
care at all either for the giggling     
levity that sees nothing solemn in the  
subject1 or for the sanctimonious       
gravity1 that considers religion        
profaned by being made practical4 ,there
 are some difficulties in the way of a  
frank treatment of the subject2 ,i know 
our customs do not favor the homely     
simplicity of the language of the ,bible
 in the discussion of marriage1 and he  
must be very adventurous who undertakes 
to use the plain speech of the old      
divines1 whether in the quaint aphorisms
 of ,thomas ,fuller or the jewelled     
periods of ,jeremy ,taylor4 ,yet it is  
not well to be very fastidious or       

mystify any subject by ingenious        
circumlocution1 and we propose to say   
some plain words on the relation of     
husbands and wives in continuation of   
these thoughts upon home duties4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,not much need be said upon the         
foundation of this relation4 ,it rests  
clearly upon the will of ,god1 the best 
good of the parties1 and the welfare of 
society4  ,as the ,creator and          
,preserver of mankind1 as the ,lord of  
,nature and the ,father of ,spirits1    
,god has made us social beings1 and     
decreed that the most important         
association should be a lasting one4    
,the natural law1 which in lower        
creatures establishes a transient union1
 enacts the permanence of the higher    
relation1 and when profoundly studied   
agrees with the precepts of ,revelation 
and the results of the best experience4 
,god's will is clearly shown in the     
effect of marriage upon the moral       
condition of the parties themselves4 ,it

 is generally essential to their true   
life--to the proper development of their
 affections and faculties4 ,under good  
,providence1 it is the school of the    
heart1 the motive to the most laudable  
exertion and sacrifice4 ,there are      
persons indeed whose peculiar duties may
 exempt them from its cares1--scholars1 
devotees1 philanthropists1 who may give 
their whole heart to their chosen       
speciality1 and make of science1        
religion or humanity their family and   
home4 ,yet these are not the general    
rule1 and even these generally prove    
that the peculiar power acquired by     
concentrating their whole mind upon a   
single pursuit gives them force at the  
expense of breadth of culture1 and may  
be morbid because preternatural4 ,the   
monk and nun1 in the convent or out of  
it1 have done noble things1 and every   
faithful memory must bless them for     
it--but not the noblest things4 ,they   
have shown much mercy1 yet quite as much
 spiritual pride4 ,if they have fed the 

poor1 they have framed the ,mass ,book  
and the ,confessional4 ,if they have    
cared for the orphan1 they have also    
invented infant damnation and the       
,inquisition1 insisting on hell         
hereafter for all not baptized by their 
priesthood1 and devising a hell here    
below for all heretics against their    
creed4 ,unmarried people ruled          
,christendom for a thousand years1 and  
that they did not rule in wisdom1 the   
,bible1 history1 and our best modern    
culture all declare4 ,nay1 the very sage
 of modern celibacy1 ,swedenborg1 gave  
years of his life and the chief labors  
of his pen to prove1 that the best      
wisdom comes from minds united          
conjugially1 imbuing thought with       
affection1 and informing affection with 
thought1 and so best interpreting the   
,god in ,christ4 ,they who may be       
puzzled by his mystical lore will have  
no difficulty with the more practical   
argument1 or refuse to allow that the   
most healthy thought and feeling1 the   

most comprehensive culture1 frequents   
the home which a true marriage makes4   
,marriage1 says ,jeremy ,taylor1 is the 
mother of the world1 and preserves      
kingdoms and fills cities and churches  
and heaven itself4 ,celibate1 like the  
fly in the heart of an apple1 dwells in 
a perpetual sweetness1 but sits alone1  
and is confined and dies in singularity2
 but marriage1 like the useful bee1     
builds a house1 and gathers sweetness   
from every flower1 and labors1 and      
unites into societies and republics1 and
 sends out colonies1 and keeps order1   
and exercises many virtues1 and promotes
 the interest of mankind1 and is that   
state of good things to which ,god hath 
designed the present constitution of the
 world4  ,to carry out the argument and 
show the necessity of this relation to  
due provision for children1 to the peace
 and purity of society at large1 would  
but lead us into common-places that can 
as well be spared4 ,better pass on and  
speak of the nature and duties of the   

relation in question4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,it      
differs from the other relations that we
 have thus far considered1 first of all 
in the fact1 that it is elective or     
voluntary4 ,the tie is one of choice1   
not of blood1 and of course this fact of
 itself speaks to reason and conscience 
to stir themselves in the choice1       
instead of leaving it to a giddy eye or 
a silly ear4 ,the relation1 moreover1 is
 exclusive1 and in this fact it is      
distinguished from all ties of blood and
 all other ties of choice4 ,again it is 
entire--extending to all the interests  
of human life4 ,elective1 exclusive1    
entire1 marriage is thus the most       
momentous of human relations4           
,decalogue1 ,gospel1 ,providence1       
experience1 all declare it such1 and    
rest upon an act of choice the only     
obligation that brooks no rival and     
allows no limitation4  ,in accordance   
with the tenderness and dignity of the  
relation1 the ruling sentiment and      

correspondent duties must be4 ,of the   
sentiment1 more than filial or parental 
love1 more than brotherhood1 for which  
friendship is an inadequate name1 and   
which at once fascinates by natural     
affinities and binds with the sacredness
 of religion1 ,i have no elaborate      
analysis to give4 ,we escape at once the
 peril of maudlin sentimentality and    
metaphysical abstraction1 by speaking of
 the sentiment in the practical fruits1 
which best show its nature4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,we say  
first of all1 that husband and wife     
should be true to each other--true first
 and last4 ,wo to them1 if they begin   
their relation with a lie1 either spoken
 or acted4 ,they promise to love1 honor 
and cherish each other1 and they lie    
abominably in the sight of ,god and     
their own consciences1 if they nullify  
the solemn promise by capricious levity 
or sordid selfishness4 ,full liberty of 
conscience must be allowed for the      
action of various minds1 temperaments1  

circumstances1 and not all dispositions 
are to be judged by the same degree of  
the moral thermometer4 ,yet of all      
diversities of gifts1 this statement    
holds good1 that marriage begins in an  
impious falsehood1 if the parties do not
 regard each other with affection and   
respect1 and do not mean to be mutual   
helpers4 ,an earth-born impulse should  
not steal a sacred name1 nor a mercenary
 bargain intrude its traffic into       
precincts more sacred than the temple   
courts4 ,the sale of a human creature   
under the marriage ring is more         
degrading because more voluntary than   
under the auctioneer's hammer1 and ,god 
will not withhold his verdict against   
the profanation of his altars by such   
outrage against nature and the ,gospel4 
,the beginning is true1 when the bond is
 sincerely assumed1 and spirit and truth
 go fully together when the whole mind  
and heart agree in a congeniality       
without alloy and without misgiving4    
,true in the beginning1 husband and wife

 are to be true in their progress       
together4 ,of that gross falsity against
 which ,god launches an express law of  
the ,decalogue1 and of whose curse on   
the offender and the victim1 so many    
wretched lives and homes are the        
providential commentary1 ,i need not    
speak with minuteness4 ,fidelity demands
 more than any negative policy--demands 
truthfulness throughout the whole       
relation1 the confidence that will not  
mask its face or thought in reserve1 and
 will deem it a fraud to confer with any
 third party upon any matter belonging  
in its nature to the two4 ,it is the    
beginning of bitter sorrow1 when this   
limit is overstepped1 and that enamel of
 mutual confidence is broken1 which kind
 ,heaven has given for the protection of
 so delicate a nerve4  ,nor does        
truthfulness end here4 ,it must be      
positive in word and in                 
action--prompting the parties to share  
their thoughts and plans together1 and  
to prove by devotion to each other's    

welfare the truth of what they say4 ,we 
spare the digression to many satirists  
so attractive1 and saying nothing of the
 cheats of married life1 whether the    
frauds of selfishness or the wiles of   
overfondness1 we are better pleased to  
leave the other aspect of the picture   
uppermost1 and speak of ,god's blessing 
upon all who keep their truth by being  
true as well as kind4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,we add  
now a second duty of married            
persons--one that has a very prosaic    
sound1 touching a matter so near the    
springs of feeling4 ,we say that husband
 and wife should be                     
reasonable--reasonable that they may be 
true in fact as well as in purpose4     
,feeling of itself1 even when healthy1  
is a poor guide1 sadly blind without    
reason4 ,whether it go with love or     
indifference1 folly carries misery into 
the home4 ,the proverb is true enough-- 
,a stone is heavy and the sand weighty1 
,but a fool's wrath is heavier than     

both2  and we might add1 a fool's love  
is quite as heavy as his wrath4 ,we     
speak not of the folly1 which is a      
natural misfortune1 but that of minds   
befooling themselves by levity1 or      
dissipation1 or idleness4 ,nothing wears
 better than good sense1 and nothing is 
more essential to permanent congeniality
 and usefulness4 ,it is sometimes a     
stern censor1 but only because it wishes
 to be an honest friend4 ,let married   
persons take it for their counsellor and
 it will settle for them many questions1
 which inflame self-will and disturb    
love itself4 ,they need above all others
 to be reasonable1 to look to reason    
with all its revealed lights as the     
interpreter of ,god's will to them1 and 
of their own relation to each other4 ,it
 is a great thing for them to start in  
life with reasonable views of the most  
common-place arrangements of the        
household4 ,how much disappointment1 and
 bitterness1 and sin1 come from         
unreasonable views of expense1 and who  

will undertake to estimate the amount of
 domestic misery resulting from         
household extravagance8 ,the dress of   
many a wife1 and the wine account of    
many a husband has been the ruin of the 
family4 ,let every couple start with a  
fair understanding as to what they can  
afford to spend1 and keep sacredly      
within the limit4 ,if the world laughs  
at their simplicity1 they can well      
afford to laugh at the world's folly1   
and time will be very likely to put the 
laugh upon the right side4 ,much might  
be said of the deplorable influence of  
the extravagant notions of most young   
women in preventing thoughtful men from 
taking the risks of marriage1 and we    
hazard nothing in saying that the worst 
vices of cities are closely connected   
with the growth of feminine             
extravagance4 ,america will lose her    
birthright and have no trace of the old 
domestic order1 if the folly runs       
through the land1 and most girls are    
brought up to exact more expense than   

the average returns of industry and     
talent can earn4  ,good sense1 that     
honest counsellor1 will save the parties
 from all controversy about prerogative1
 will interpret their peculiar          
jurisdictions duly2 teaching the man to 
take the lead without magisterial       
assumption1 to be the guardian without  
playing the tyrant2 teaching the woman  
to follow his fortunes without being his
 slave1 and to accept his deference     
without becoming his imbecile toy2      
exhibiting both in their likeness and   
difference1 equals and not equals1 so   
that the twain are made one by a due    
balance of gifts and harmony of         
contrasts4  ,is there not need of urging
 with some emphasis the worth of        
reasonable relations between husband and
 wife8 ,are they not too ready to make a
 compromise of follies--the one annoyed 
by having her tastes and habits reviewed
 in the strong light of a masculine     
understanding--the other irritated at   
having his hard worldliness criticised  

by feminine refinement or               
sensibility--the two sometimes settling 
the difficulty by non-interference--the 
one left to extravagance and frivolity1 
if she will consent not to insist upon  
having her husband's time or            
thought--the other allowed to drudge as 
he will1 if he will not intrude his     
utilitarianism into her sphere1 or apply
 common sense to the charming follies   
that devour the dollars and the days4   
,it is all wrong1 and no gifts of       
fortune can make up for the want of     
thoroughly rational companionship       
between parties so allied1 and so apt to
 belittle each other by triviality4     
,both are gainers by it1 and            
intellectually as well as morally--the  
more gainers as in generous studies of  
nature1 art1 history1 society1 they take
 a common interest in the enlarging and 
ennobling fields of thought1 and their  
habitual confidence makes them educators
 of each other4 ,without being alarmed  
by the valiant ,minervas who brandish   

their flashing spears from reform       
platforms1 and declare an independence  
at which the old ,revolutionary signers 
would have stood aghast1 we believe that
 the most thorough practical discipline 
is to be found in this home school1 and 
the enlargement of feminine perception  
and the refining of masculine vigor1    
would advance vastly under such a       
culture4 ,there would be a better mutual
 understanding of the two great domains 
of life1 and a holy alliance between the
 two great families of minds4 ,in plain 
language1 if husband and wife would     
advise with each other fully on all     
important subjects1 the robust          
understanding would be much helped by   
the quick wit1 and fewer foolish things1
 far fewer evil things would be done in 
the world4 ,in phrase more ideal1 yet   
equally true1 if insight were better    
allied with argument--ready sensibility 
with executive strength--nice perception
 with comprehensive judgment1 reason    
would have a new avatar on earth1 and   

the light of ,god would shine as never  
before in its beauty and its power into 
each household1 and over the great      
globe4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,one more aspect of the    
class of duties before us now1 we have  
to state1 and one that comprises and    
carries out every other4 ,they who marry
 are to live united in all the interests
 and purposes of existence4  ,the most  
obvious ground of union is the          
maintenance of the home and the welfare 
of the family4 ,the order of ,providence
 seems to require the one to provide by 
his labor or enterprise the means of    
livelihood1 and the other to see that   
they are properly used4 ,as manners are 
simple1 and fortunes limited1 the union 
of interests here is a very grave       
matter1 and inefficiency or self-will on
 either side brings discomfort1 perhaps 
wretchedness4 ,as manners are refined1  
and luxuries abound1 the same unity of  
minds is equally essential to give grace
 and true worth to the home4 ,let each  

respect the other in the several        
spheres1 and combine to make both what  
they should be4 ,let not a man's        
laborious gains be squandered in folly1 
nor a wife's faithful care be disparaged
 as trivial4 ,to use a homely word with 
a sacred meaning1 who will not ask a    
blessing on good housekeeping8 ,is it   
not one of the fine as well as the      
useful arts--do not its very utilities  
like the fountain of living water       
sparkle into beauty8 ,happy they who    
know more of it than the tender mercies 
of hotels and boarding-houses reveal4   
,they do not learn it well1 unless they 
mingle faith with their economies1 and  
keep the home in divine peace1 as well  
as in worldly thrift4 ,a home divided   
against itself cannot stand4 ,who shall 
keep it one save ,he in whom alone all  
souls can have the unity of the spirit  
and the bond of peace1 and whose        
blessing is needed quite as much in a   
ducal palace as in the plainest         
farm-house8  ,how shall we urge at      

length this point of union1 or          
illustrate its bearing upon all         
interests1 plans1 and hopes8 ,it is a   
great thing for two frail natures to    
live as one for life long4 ,two harps   
are not easily kept always in tune1 and 
what shall we expect of two harps each  
of a thousand strings8 ,what human will 
or wisdom cannot do1 ,god can do1 and   
,his ,providence is uniting ever more   
intimately1 those who devoutly try to do
 the work of life and enjoy its goods   
together4 ,for them there is in store a 
respect and affection--a peace and      
power1 all unknown in the heyday of     
young romance4 ,experience intertwines  
their remembrances and hopes in stronger
 cords1 and as they stand at the loom of
 time1 one with the strong warp1 the    
other with the finer woof1 the hand of  
,providence weaves for them a tissue of 
unfading beauty and imperishable worth4 
,a blessing on the brave and gentle     
spirit of the elect poet of our time1   
,alfred ,tennyson1 for speaking in his  

exquisite verse a truth that might too  
much task our prosaic analysis3--       
,for woman is not undeveloped man1      
,but diverse2 could we make her as the  
man1   ,sweet love were slain1 whose    
dearest bond is this   ,not like to     
thee1 but like in difference2   ,yet in 
the long years liker must they grow2    
,the man be more of woman1 she of man2  
,he gain in sweetness and in moral      
height1   ,nor lose the wrestling thews 
that throw the world2   ,she mental     
breath1 nor fail in childward care3     
,more as the double-natured ,poet each3 
,till at the last she set herself to    
man1   ,like perfect music unto noble   
words2   ,and so these twain1 upon the  
skirts of ,time1   ,sit side by side1   
full-summed in all their powers1        
,dispensing harvest1 sowing the ,to-be1 
,self-reverent each and reverencing     
each1   ,distinct in individualities1   
,but like each other even as those who  
love4   ,then comes the statelier ,eden 
back to men3   ,then reign the world's  

great bridals1 chaste and calm3   ,then 
springs the crowning race of humankind4 
,it is the worst clandestine marriage1  
said old ,thomas ,fuller1 when ,god is  
not invited to it1 wherefore1 beforehand
 beg his gracious assistance4 ,equally  
bad1 we add1 is the marriage1 where ,his
 presence is not retained1 and they who 
at first sought ,his blessing do not    
hold to it ever to keep them true and   
thoughtful1 to lift them into a union to
 which the ,beloved ,son was not ashamed
 to compare ,his own communion with     
souls4 ,perfection on earth we may not  
ask1 nor call a hasty word or impatient 
thought unpardonable4 ,they who love    
much must expect to forgive something   
and forbear sometimes4 ,but this may be 
expected and is demanded1 that they who 
take each other's welfare in charge     
should never do any intentional         
unkindness1 or fail of aught that may be
 done for the other's welfare4 ,this may
 be expected and is demanded1 that when 
the tie that binds them is severed by   

the only power that can fitly part them1
 and they are to part at death--they    
should look back with mutual blessing to
 the hour of their first union1 be      
assured that through all vicissitudes   
and infirmities1 they have tried to make
 each other better and happier1 and that
 they have learned of ,him whose name at
 their ,cana made their wedding sacred1 
to trust in the realm where they neither
 marry nor are given in marriage1 but   
are as the angels of ,god4  ,shrink not 
from applying the truth now before us to
 ourselves4 ,parents1 apply it1 and in  
training your sons and daughters use    
good sense upon a subject so often left 
to utter folly4 ,they talk and think    
about it enough in a certain way1 and   
with such poor aids as trashy novels and
 paltry gossip4 ,let them think and talk
 about it wisely1 and let them not1 if  
you can help it1 learn wisdom at the    
cost of wretchedness4 ,respect ,heaven's
 own laws1 and do not allow the world's 
fashions and tyrannies to get the better

 of reason and conscience in controlling
 the most important of destinies4       
,husbands and wives1 apply the          
troth--allow no routine to chill        
affection--no monotony to break down    
thoughtfulness4 ,if the envious years   
should not allow you to celebrate your  
golden or even your silver wedding1 live
 while you may in the wisdom which is   
the word of love1 and the worth of it is
 beyond silver or gold or rubies4       
,our ,friends4     ,,our ,,friends4     
,every important word in human language 
is of itself a chapter of history1 and  
if we could read it rightly would tell  
us the mind of all the ages that have   
shaped its form1 and all the individuals
 who have given its meaning4 ,starting  
from the beginning1 every such word     
passes from century to century1 nation  
to nation1 and makes of itself a medium 
as universal as the air which forms its 
tones4 ,we cannot open our mouths1 in   
any kind or honest way1 without         
declaring the creed of humanity1 that   

began with man's creation1 and has been 
enlarged or exalted by every sage and   
benefactor of our race4 ,what word that 
is applied to men expresses this creed  
more than that of friend8 ,from the very
 first1 men have called each other      
friends1 and our ,saviour did not       
create1 but developed the sense of the  
term1 when he called his disciples      
friends4 ,in the language in which      
,jesus was educated1 the word flowed in 
the melody of ,david so true to         
friendship and to faith1 and in the     
sentences of ,solomon1 never forgetful  
in his keenest prudence of the worth of 
friends4 ,in the language which the     
evangelists borrowed from ,greece1 the  
word had won to itself many a classic   
charm1 and in passing from the          
conversations of ,socrates to the gospel
 of ,christ1 it deepened its meaning    
without damping its joy4 ,st4 ,john took
 from his ,master's lips more than      
,plato took from the mouth of ,socrates1
 when that evangelist penned the words1 

,i have called you friends4 ,this holy  
sanction has not been forgotten1 nor has
 ,christ's spirit left the word4 ,every 
age fills it anew with meaning1 as the  
golden chalice from age to age is filled
 anew at the altar4 ,daily life and high
 art and letters show its power4 ,it is 
breathed in many a song and hymn of home
 affections and fireside companionship4 
,to what pathos it subdues the majestic 
muse of ,milton in his lament for       
,lycidas--to what solemnity it lifts the
 wayward heart of ,shelley in his elegy 
on ,adonais--and when since the ,hebrew 
harp that thrilled such sorrow at the   
death of ,david's friend1 has there been
 a holier and lovelier tribute to       
friendship than in the offering which in
 our utilitarian age the genius of      
,tennyson has laid on the tomb of       
,arthur ,hallam8 ,these are great       
instances indeed1 but they speak what   
all may feel4 ,nay1 what is the secret  
of the power of the poet or sage1 except
 that he can best say what comes home to

 us all8  ,friends1--,we have and must  
have some whom we call such4 ,happy are 
we if they can be truly so called4 ,it  
is not for us to choose1 whether we     
shall have friends at all or in any     
sense1 but it is ours to choose1 whether
 we shall have them in the right sense4 
,all people1 however depraved1 will have
 some associates whose company they to  
some extent enjoy1 and he who cares for 
nobody and for whom nobody cares1 may be
 set aside from the human family as     
essentially monstrous4 ,of monsters we  
are not treating1 but of men1 and with  
our common nature in view1 ,i speak now 
of the duties of friends4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,this    
relation is founded in the will of ,god 
and the being of man4 ,god has made us  
dependent upon each other for protection
 and comfort4 ,the dependence is not    
limited by family ties alone1 but       
extends to a large circle1 in some      
measure indeed to all with whom we deal 
or speak4 ,nor is it confined to        

material interests4 ,friendship is as   
much a moral fact under ,providence as  
light or gravitation is a physical fact4
 ,we like to see and talk with people   
for the pleasure of their society1 and  
are unhappy when long away from those we
 know best4 ,god has made this to be so 
in the structure of our nature1 and ,his
 work as ,creator has been constantly   
carried out by ,his providential care   
for society and all its affinities4     
,our need of friends shows ,his         
designing will1 and ,his designing will 
is all the clearer as this need is well 
supplied4 ,in fact1 we cannot be truly  
ourselves without society4 ,our thoughts
 and feelings cannot fully come out     
apart from congenial companionship4 ,it 
cheers us1 it quickens our powers1 stirs
 our purposes1 and the very best things 
that have been done in the world prove  
its worth4 ,christ himself needed it1   
rejoiced in it1 consecrated it4 ,as ,his
 disciples went forth two and two to    
found the heavenly kingdom1 the social  

element kept company with the religious 
in their own hearts1 and in their creed4
 ,the divine charity which the gospel   
inspired1 cherished personal friendships
 as well as general humanity4 ,the grim 
hermit1 in an age whose faith gloried in
 sacrificing companionship to piety1 was
 glad to know that other persons like   
himself were in the same wilderness1 and
 would have been frantic at the very    
idea of being the only person living in 
the world4 ,his lonely cell was many a  
time lighted up by images of friends    
still loved4  ,a freer age has brought  
out anew the friendship of the gospel1  
and little as enlightened people        
nowadays may be inclined to put on the  
dress and phrases of the ,quaker1 there 
has probably never been a time when so  
many accepted the essential ideas which 
led ,george ,fox1 ,william ,penn and    
their associates to reject the old names
 and forms1 and call the ,christian     
,church simply a society of friends4    
,there is a kindly feeling over the     

world now1 and much of the best hope of 
humanity rests upon the fact1 that so   
many judicious and influential people of
 every land know each other pleasantly  
and wish each other well4 ,so friendship
 even in this sinful world is showing   
,god's will for us1 bringing out our own
 faculties and fulfilling the divine    
plans for mankind4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,the sentiment1   
that animates the relation1 needs little
 definition or analysis4 ,in some sense1
 all understand it1 although its best   
sense a true life only can teach4 ,they 
are friends1 who are attached to each   
other1 with any kind of liking or       
loving4 ,the attachment may begin in    
interest1 as with parties in business or
 in pleasure1 as with the votaries of   
some art or science1 and as the interest
 or the pleasure is low or elevated1 the
 attachment will shape its character4   
,but however it begins1 it never        
continues well and becomes genuine1     
unless the parties stand upon the same  

platform of principle1 agree in what is 
highest and best1 and in some way come  
within the scope of the ,master's sense 
of a true friend1 when he said1 ,i have 
not called you servants--,i have called 
you friends4  ,undoubtedly they are the 
best friends who differ much in         
incidental traits and agree in the      
essentials of character4 ,their likeness
 and their unlikeness brings them       
together4 ,their likeness makes them    
congenial1 and their unlikeness makes   
them instructive and interesting to each
 other4 ,herein they follow the law of  
elective affinities1 that runs through  
nature1 and which makes a certain       
contrast essential to true harmony4     
,elective1 yet not exclusive or entire1 
as the relation is1 friends choose each 
other freely without ties of kindred    
blood1 and however cordial the choice   
may be1 it does not imply exclusive     
regard or entire union of interests4    
,affection1 as well as esteem1 enters   
into the sentiment1 but in comparison   

with relations of blood and marriage1   
the element of esteem is generally      
larger in its composition than that of  
affection4 ,it is esteem growing into   
affection rather than affection growing 
into esteem4  ,come now to the practical
 point of view1 and consider the duties 
of friends for ourselves4 ,we have and  
desire to have friends1 those who are   
such in general and those who are such  
particularly4 ,what are we to do to keep
 or make them8  ,first of all we are to 
be sincere4 ,herein we must stand       
directly at issue with the fashionable  
world1 that looks upon all sociability  
as an affair of manner1 and manner as   
but one branch of costume--the mere     
dress of the tongue and eyes and looks4 
,let manner be respected1 as it should  
be1 yet what is it in its best estate   
but the simple and thoughtful expression
 of a gentle heart and a noble mind8 ,it
 cannot be put on like a cloak1 but must
 grow out as foliage and bloom from the 
life4 ,it is so generally with manners  

in promiscuous society1 but especially  
so between friends4 ,they must be       
sincere alike for the sake of giving and
 of gaining the true goods of           
friendship4 ,the heart itself thus acts 
happily1 delighting in the free         
utterance of its convictions away from  
the world's folly and harshness4 ,it    
craves a congenial sphere to breathe    
freely and fully4 ,sincere alike in his 
playful talk and serious conservation1 a
 man finds his nature expanding as his  
life opens under genial influences      
refreshing as sunshine and dew4         
,sincerity indeed needs a grain of      
caution1 and a thoughtful person will   
not tell his whole mind always4 ,but    
judicious reserve need not be won at the
 cost of truth or by the sin of         
hypocrisy4 ,taught discretion by some   
experience of the ridicule or the deceit
 in store for garrulous frankness1 a    
true friend will be sincere always1 yet 
need not feel himself called upon to    
open his whole heart to those unable or 

unwilling to give his confidence        
hospitality4 ,his spirit will not be    
without answer4 ,truth will sit upon his
 lips and win truth for him4 ,the true  
will find the true4  ,but not only are  
we to be sincere for the vast comfort   
and gain of free1 genial companionship1 
but for its direct service to others4   
,if we wish to know ourselves1 we should
 be willing to help others know         
themselves by telling them the truth4   
,says ,lord ,bacon1 there is no such    
flatterer as a man's self1 and there is 
no such remedy against flattery of a    
man's self as the liberty of a friend4  
,it is easy enough to get more or less  
than the truth regarding our failings1  
and friends often fret and spoil each   
other by a mutual retail of compliments 
and scandals which they make a business 
of collecting to be used in             
congratulation or condolement4 ,what is 
better in view of such tale-bearing than
 a sincere counsellor1 who at due times 
will tell the simple and entire truth1  

and above flattery and calumny will give
 honest advice upon faults of character 
and errors of conduct1--mingling        
kindness with caution1 and never so     
encouraging as when thoroughly frank8   
,this is a nice point1 and one full of  
difficulties1 yet the point is a main   
one1 and a brave1 generous heart need   
not fear the difficulties4 ,no man is a 
true friend1 who is not ready to be a   
faithful adviser1 willing to wound      
self-love in its tenderest part1 and    
give passing pain for the sake of       
lasting blessing4 ,not often and never  
with any assumption must he do this1 but
 humbly as before the searcher of       
hearts1 and in view of the benign and   
majestic being who washed his disciples'
 feet before telling them of their      
defects1 and opening to them the fulness
 of his wisdom and love4  ,again1       
friends should be earnest as well as    
sincere--earnest not merely in feeling  
or temperament1 but in the aims of life4
 ,what are we good for to others1 unless

 we have heart ourselves for what is    
worthy1 and are trying to be and do     
something for whatsoever is true1       
honest1 pure and lovely1 and of good    
report8 ,a man is worth little or       
nothing to others unless he is earnest  
for worth in itself4 ,what more frequent
 cause is there of the too frequent     
flatness of what passes for society1    
than the want of earnestness in its     
members1 the prevalence of a monotonous 
mediocrity of thought and manner1 which 
makes people uninteresting because they 
are not interested in much of any thing 
sensible or elevating8 ,how much power  
there is in the true companionship to   
which each brings the zest of his own   
pursuit1 the enthusiasm of his own      
favorite aim1 and all are made wiser and
 happier by the thought and spirit of   
each4 ,part of the influence of such    
friendship is seen at once in cheerful  
looks and renewed courage4 ,the better  
part is not seen1 for wherever persons  
really in earnest meet together1 no     

matter what their calling or topic may  
be1 there is a power among them1 that   
brings their heart into closer relation 
with the eternal heart1 and whether     
conscious of it or not1 men go away     
confirmed in faith--deepened1 whatever  
their creed1 in the sense that ,god is1 
and his spirit is abroad among his      
people4  ,the nobler their pursuit or   
their habitual aims1 the greater power  
do friends give and take by their       
earnestness--the better the spirit which
 they bring to their personal           
intercourse4 ,they are more interesting 
as individuals1 as they are mutually    
interested in matters above themselves1 
and instructive and attractive to each  
other4 ,every honorable interest unites 
those who cherish it1 and beautifully   
has ,jeremy ,taylor said1 ,he that does 
a base thing in zeal for his friend1    
burns the golden thread that ties their 
hearts together4 ,of every honorable    
interest the quaint old poet's saying   
upon honor itself holds good3--    ,i   

could not love thee1 dear1 so much1     
,loved ,i not honor more4  ,what        
earnestness for every generous aim      
filled the heart of him who sat at the  
table of communion1 inflamed the earthly
 minds around with heavenly faith and   
fervor1 as he bade them be one with him 
in ,god1 after he had said1 ,i have     
called you friends4 ,blessing repeated  
in some measure where any sincere and   
earnest people interchange thoughts and 
feelings6 ,blessing written on all true 
companionship since ,jesus lived and    
died6  ,need we add kindness to         
sincerity and earnestness as essentials 
of friendship1 for is it not implied8   
,implied1 certainly1 although there is a
 certain kind of earnest sincerity1 that
 lacks the tenderness which this word   
expresses4 ,it expresses none other than
 the crowning grace of charity in its   
familiar application4 ,kindness1 genuine
 and between persons of congenial minds1
 watchful to yield its balms and dews1  
when fortune is sharp or the world is a 

weariness1 instant ever with a sympathy 
unaffected and unobtrusive in trouble   
and in joy--living commentary upon the  
sacred sentence3--    ,a faithful friend
 is the medicine of life1   ,and they   
that fear the ,lord shall find him4     
,then griefs by being communicated are  
less and joys greater4 ,indeed1 says    
,south1 sorrow like a stream loses      
itself in many channels1 and joy1 like a
 ray of the sun1 reflects with a greater
 ardor and quickness when it rebounds   
upon a man from the breast of a friend4 
,in such kindness there will be an      
element of magnanimity which will check 
the selfish calculation that measures   
regard by gold1 and exchanges relations 
of affinity for bonds of profit and     
loss4 ,we will not say there is no      
friendship in trade1 but that it is     
incongruous to make trade of friendship4
 ,the more the relation is one of       
reciprocal sentiment1 and the less it is
 unbalanced by patronage or dependence1 
the more it moves in its own element and

 yields its own reward4  ,the more      
likely too it is to be lasting1 and     
crown sincerity1 earnestness1 and       
kindness1 with constancy4 ,too many     
things there are to break the unity of  
our lives1 and scatter into fragments   
our book of experience4 ,yet some ties  
we need1 and may have1 that run their   
silken thread through its various       
chapters1 and make a volume of the      
leaves else fragmentary as the ,sibyl's4
 ,true friends are such ties1 and       
whether of our kindred or not1 they can 
be won by friendliness and kept only by 
constancy4 ,some deemed such may fall   
off and become indifferent1 perhaps     
false1 but who that has any heart cannot
 feel happy in some form of constant    
kindness1 and say with the ,scripture   
and from experience3    ,a friend loveth
 at all times1   ,and a brother is born 
for adversity4  ,happiness indeed1 when 
as we go through life and take its ups  
and downs1 and look upon its            
ever-enlarging horizon1 we can meet     

betimes and often some one or more whom 
we have known from youth1 and whose very
 faces and voices express our best      
remembrances and hopes4 ,as rising above
 dull etiquette1 we call them by their  
familiar names1 and say ,william1 or    
,henry1 or ,mary1 or ,ellen1 grim time  
seems to drop his inexorable scythe1 and
 the roses that appeared withered in our
 path bloom out as amaranths of         
immortality4 ,power1 as well as         
pleasure1 comes from the interview1     
especially if1 under the incentive1     
noble friendship gives its fascinations 
to wisdom1 and thus stirred we review   
our lives closely1 scrutinize our ways  
seriously1 and our whole experience     
rises up under a new charm to warn us of
 evil and urge us to good1 ready to say 
religiously3    ,change not a friend for
 any good1 by no means1   ,neither a    
faithful brother for the gold of ,ophir4
  ,do we think enough of this whole     
subject of companionship--enough of it  
for ourselves and our children8 ,in some

 way1 perhaps1 we may think enough of   
being in society1 and we may have a     
sharp eye on our list of acquaintance1  
be eager enough for the silly race of   
ostentatious eating1 drinking1 and      
dressing1 that is the life of our       
semi-barbarous fashion1 or for the      
frivolous social circles1 where         
friendship is part of the play1 and they
 who flatter each other to the face1    
laugh at each other as soon as the back 
is turned2 and in perhaps honeyed words 
character is depicted as sharply as if  
cannibals had but changed their policy1 
and brought their teeth to bear in a    
different way1 not upon the flesh but   
upon the life4 ,perhaps we have a better
 ambition1 and desire for ourselves and 
our children the society of the refined1
 and wise1 and good4 ,this is well1 but 
one point must not be overlooked4 ,there
 is no getting into really good society 
but by growing into it4 ,we may win     
entrance to the houses and tables of    
distinguished people perhaps1 but our   

real friendship with persons of sterling
 character must depend on our character 
and culture4 ,ask honestly--what are we1
 what have we made and are making of    
ourselves and our children8 ,and our    
worth will be the precise measure of the
 friendship we deserve and are likely to
 have4 ,here is motive for the best     
culture of the mind and heart4 ,a man's 
own essential character--what he thinks1
 knows1 is1 and can do1--it is this that
 opens to him true companionship1 and by
 a law as universal as that of specific 
gravity1 he rises or falls to his own   
level4 ,is it not worth a life's effort 
to be worthy to win and enjoy the       
intimate companionship of choice minds8 
,do we think of this in the training of 
our children8 ,do we try to educate     
their social affections morally and     
intellectually--strive to make our      
houses attractive to sensible people1 to
 give our sons distaste for profligates1
 and our daughters disgust for fops and 
fools8 ,are we laying the foundations of

 sincere and elevating relations that   
shall put the due check upon the evil   
communications that so corrupt good     
manners8 ,if not1 think seriously of the
 neglect1 and do better1 as you fear    
,god and love the best in the life he   
has given us4  ,cheerfully1 gratefully1 
leave the subject as we consider what   
,he has done for us1 and ask ,his       
blessing on all whom we hold dear4 ,god 
bless our friends6 ,bless them all in   
their widest and their inmost circle2   
bless all the kindly people with whom we
 have interchanged pleasant words1 and  
who more than the landscape have        
reflected in any way his light and love2
 bless all who from age or wisdom have  
taught us truth and reverence1          
instructors1 guardians1 counsellors1    
pastors1 on earth or gone from the      
earth2 bless those nearer sharers of our
 lot1 sincere1 earnest1 tender1 constant
 companions1 whose names are familiar at
 our table and sacred in our prayers2   
bless ,him1 whose gospel crowns all good

 will with its divine love1 and calling 
all friends who lived in ,god's love1   
leaves to all the benediction of ,his   
parting prayer3 ,holy ,father6 keep     
through thine own name those whom thou  
hast given me1 that they may be one1 as 
we are4     ,master and ,servant4       
,,master ,,and ,,servant4   ,we are     
careful how we treat our equals--very   
careful how we treat our superiors4 ,do 
we think seriously enough of our        
treatment of inferiors8 ,we ought to    
think of this1 for their sake and our   
own--for their sake1 because they are so
 much under our own influence2 for our  
own sake1 because we deserve just such  
treatment from those above us as we give
 to those beneath us8 ,do any try to    
escape the latter inference by denying  
the premises and saying that they are   
their own masters and ask no favors from
 any one8 ,this will not do1 nor will   
any petulant rhetoric change the solemn 
facts of the ,divine government4 ,we all
 have superiors as well as inferiors2 in

 some points we are all masters1 in some
 points all servants4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,it is   
the law of ,god certainly1 that there   
should be inequalities of gifts1 and    
from these diverse gifts1 whether of    
talent or opportunity or both1 come     
varieties of place and influence4 ,there
 is no such thing as perfect equality in
 the universe1 except in the            
mathematician's calculus1 or the        
metaphysician's theory4 ,neither ,god   
nor man has ever made two things exactly
 alike1 and the diversity that appears  
between two blades of grass from the    
same stalk1 or two needles from the same
 mechanism1 is of course greater as we  
rise in the scale to creatures1 so      
various and complex in faculties and    
discipline as mankind4 ,think not1      
however1 that this inequality favors    
pride on the one hand1 and sycophancy on
 the other4 ,the ,creator has more      
wisely adjusted the checks and balances 
of his government4 ,in some respects1 he

 has made every man dependent upon his  
fellows4 ,the greatest sage needs to    
learn something from the peasant1 and to
 receive much from his toil4 ,the king  
must serve the country which he         
professes to rule1 and the best wisdom  
of his counsellors must serve the       
throne4 ,the merest glance at society   
round us shows an endless gradation of  
varied service4 ,the ablest lawyer is   
quite as much bound to devote his       
talents to his client's cause1 as his   
client is bound to requite his labor4   
,the merchant prince1 creditor to many1 
has creditors also of his own4 ,he that 
is called in the ,lord1 being a servant1
 is the ,lord's freeman2 likewise also1 
he that is called1 being free1 is       
,christ's servant4 ,in some sense1 then1
 every man is a servant1 and in some    
sense1 too1 every servant is a master1  
or in something commands4  ,is not this 
arrangement well8 ,the fact that it is  
so essential to the ,divine government  
would prove this2 but can we not see its

 good fruits8 ,the difference of        
relation calls out the various faculties
 of our being1 and life1 like nature    
itself1 teaches us to use our eyes and  
minds by looking and striving above1    
below1 and around4 ,if we would bring   
out the skill and strength of the hand1 
we must lift up1 as well as hold on1 and
 so1 by dealing with things high and low
 its muscles are pliant and strong4 ,it 
is the same with all our powers1 and    
there is no man1 who is thoroughly      
educated or brought out1 who does not   
obey as well as command4 ,the motto of  
the ,black ,prince1 ,ich ,dien1 ,i      
serve1 is written on every true man's   
standard1 and no man is fit to rule who 
has not learned to obey4  ,society in   
all ages1 and especially in our own1 has
 been testing this truth1 and nothing is
 more obvious now than the general      
striving after a truer adjustment of    
mutual service4 ,it haunts us at every  
turn4 ,in the topic of work and wages1  
it is the problem of the political      

economist1--in the relation of people   
and ruler1 it agitates every government 
on earth1--in the question of master and
 servant1 it comes home to every family4
 ,our position towards it now is a very 
simple and practical one4 ,carrying out 
our plan of treating home duties1 we    
come now to the treatment of inferiors1 
especially those of our own household1  
or the relation of masters and servants4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,we start with a clear principle1   
that defines at once the sentiment that 
belongs to this relation4 ,both parties 
have the same essential nature1 and we  
use the term inferiors simply as        
denoting the fact of service1 and the   
attendants of that fact4 ,the servant   
may be1 and often is1 a better man than 
his master--sometimes a wiser one4 ,yet 
his position1 in a very obvious sense1  
is inferior1 and whilst having          
privileges of his own1 he is subject in 
his sphere of service to his master's   
orders4 ,this subjection implies no     

surrender of moral dignity4 ,the service
 should be given as from man to man1 and
 so received2 and the difference of     
position affects the office1 and not the
 moral worth of the parties4 ,even the  
bond servant1 according to ,st4 ,paul1  
is not to be deprived of his moral      
dignity1 but is to be treated as under  
,god a serving brother4 ,as much as this
 is asserted now by the moralists of    
slavery1 such as ,dr4 ,thornwell and his
 school1 who maintain that purchase does
 not make the buyer owner of the slave1 
but merely of his labor4 ,surely less   
than this position1 which is so         
speciously assumed to justify           
bond-service1 should not be allowed to  
the servant who is freely such4 ,let the
 service be what it may1 and implying   
whatever lowliness of gifts1 so long as 
it can be honestly rendered1 it implies 
no degradation2 and a good servant is   
morally to be respected as much as his  
master4 ,premising this1 and remembering
 that whatever is said of one kind of   

service has a bearing upon all kinds1 we
 are ready to look practically upon the 
duties of the relation4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,it is   
most profitable for us1 in addressing a 
community who employ so many people in  
their homes and business1 to treat the  
subject chiefly as it bears upon masters
 or employers1 although in doing this   
the duty of servants must needs be      
implied4 ,this is implied1 certainly1 in
 the position which we lay down at      
starting1 when we say1 that it is the   
master's duty first of all1 to have in  
himself the fidelity which he requires  
from his servant4 ,here both parties    
meet1 and are called to be trusty4 ,the 
best examples and the plainest          
reasonings establish this ground4 ,does 
a great commander1 like ,washington1    
send an officer or soldier upon some    
difficult expedition1 he asks of his    
inferior to be true to the principle    
which he accepts1 and his whole tone and
 manner says1 ,i serve the country in my

 way1 and so do you under my orders and 
in your way4 ,our ,saviour himself      
cherished the very allegiance which he  
required of his followers2 nay1 he      
grounded its obligation upon the very   
nature of the ,divine mind1 when he bade
 them work1 while it is day1 and said1  
,my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i    
work4 ,whenever a master or employer    
takes lower ground than that of mutual  
trust1 he puts himself below his        
servant4 ,if he professes only to follow
 his own caprices1 and yet asks his     
servant to be faithful1 he exacts       
fidelity1 whilst he cherishes caprice1  
and so in the moral scale takes a place 
below his inferior4  ,he thus fails of  
setting the true example of trustiness  
to his servant1 and of having1 by due   
fellow feeling1 proper consideration for
 him4 ,he is like the harsh creditor in 
the parable1 who1 having first been a   
reckless defaulter to the king1 after   
having begged forgiveness for the       
enormous debt of fifteen millions1      

turned at once upon his poor            
fellow-servant1 took him by the throat1 
and had him cast into prison for the    
paltry sum of about fourteen dollars4   
,he was a treacherous man1 and so could 
neither reasonably demand fidelity1 nor 
have fellow feeling for honest          
misfortune4 ,his lot is due to every man
 who repudiates his solemn              
responsibility to ,god and his neighbor1
 yet insists upon utter deference from  
those beneath him in a capricious       
tyranny1 which is far beneath faithful  
service4 ,every household should learn  
the lesson1 and wherever its most       
favored members do not feel the solemn  
obligations of life1 and live for       
objects beyond their own caprices1 they 
are rebuked by their very exactions1 and
 should be shamed by the very fidelity  
they ask4 ,a true family will set this  
matter right by teaching practically1   
that no wealth1 nor station1 nor        
elegance1 nullifies responsibility1 and 
its daily method will prove that the    

doctrine of stewardship is accepted in  
parlor and chamber before it is preached
 to the basement and attic4 ,in fact1 no
 true man will be content with being    
less useful than his servants1 and      
certainly many an affluent and          
high-minded master meets an amount of   
responsibility1 and does an amount of   
labor1 chiefly mental1 perhaps1 compared
 with which the round of domestic       
service is light4 ,he is in his way     
trusty1 and may well ask his inferiors  
to be so4 ,it is this spirit only that  
will effectually procure the service we 
need1 and provide domestics who will be 
friends instead of mere hirelings2      
helpers in the care of our children1    
instead of debasers of their speech and 
manners2 specimens of the good servant1 
who1 says an old author1 is one that out
 of a good conscience serves ,god in his
 master1 and so hath the principle of   
obedience in himself4  ,stating thus a  
duty common to both parties1 we pass on 
to a second point1 pressing more        

directly upon one of them1 however1 and 
carrying out the idea already presented4
 ,the apostle's words urge it best when 
he says3 ,masters1 give unto your       
servants that which is just and equal2  
knowing that ye also have a ,master in  
heaven4 ,it is probably needless to urge
 this point here in its external sense1 
and insist upon giving fair wages and   
punctual payment4 ,it may be important  
for some persons1 however1 who are so   
absorbed in their own comfort as to be  
almost unaware that poor people can     
suffer from a cause to themselves so    
trifling1 to be reminded that1 in       
dealing with the poor1 small sums affect
 great interests1 and that great wrong  
is done by overlooking the value of a   
few days of time or wages to people in  
their employ4 ,a dollar withheld for a  
week from a needy seamstress1 may be a  
greater harm than the non-payment of    
thousands to creditors rolling in       
wealth4  ,but there is a higher sense of
 just and equal due4 ,character is a    

great thing1 and quite as much to       
servant as to master4 ,character in     
service should be sacredly respected1   
and it is shamefully wronged when men   
pass sweeping judgment upon a whole     
class because they have been duped by a 
portion1 or1 when in a feeble good      
nature1 they are as tolerant of         
falsehood as truth1 of fraud as honesty4
 ,there is1 indeed1 sad want of veracity
 and fidelity in the class most frequent
 in our domestic service--the class by  
religion and associations almost a      
distinct caste in our nation4 ,there is 
also among them much kindness and       
industry--sometimes wonderful           
self-sacrifice1 and1 with all their     
failings1 their place could not well be 
supplied4 ,the greater their ignorance  
and obtuseness1 the more need of        
training them to a sense of right by    
setting a bounty upon good character4   
,it is a foul wrong to commend the      
thievish or lazy1 in order to be rid of 
them1 or withhold due name to the       

faithful1 in the hope of retaining their
 services4 ,certainly the ages in which 
loyalty was the crowning virtue have    
abounded in examples of devoted service1
 and our own anomalous and unsettled    
times are not without countless         
instances of like temper4 ,now1 as of   
old1 the apostle's word is remembered by
 many3 ,whatsoever ye do1 do it heartily
 as unto the ,lord1 and not unto men2   
knowing that of the ,lord ye shall      
receive the reward of the inheritance4  
,but he that doeth wrong shall receive  
for the wrong which he hath done1 and   
there is no respect of persons4  ,just  
to servants in appreciating their       
character1 we are to yield them due     
privileges favorable to character4 ,we  
shall not1 then1 voluntarily hurt them  
by their ready disposition to copy their
 masters' failings4 ,we shall not then1 
by our white lies1 give them the        
material which so readily turns black by
 a little wear4 ,we shall not deal in   
inuendos and irreverence1 that so easily

 become ribaldry and blasphemy in       
passing to less dainty lips1 nor yield  
to an excess at our tables1 which       
teaches drunkenness to coarser palates4 
,we shall be unwilling to disturb for   
our dependents the quiet which we ask   
for ourselves on the ,lord's ,day2 and  
therefore shall dispense with needless  
feasting or riding on that day1 shunning
 the too frequent error of increasing   
our hospitality in entertaining guests  
by the sacrifice of the religious       
privileges of our servants1 and of      
estimating the social respectability of 
a church by the number of rational souls
 who wait at its door in companionship  
with horses1 while lords and ladies sit 
or kneel on downy cushions at the altar 
to speak of communion with ,him who is  
no respecter of persons1 and of the     
utter damnation of all the unbelieving  
and ungodly4 ,the good master1 says     
,thomas ,fuller1 remembers the old law  
of the ,saxon king ,ina3 ,if a villain  
work on ,sunday by his lord's command1  

he shall be free4  ,nor should this     
regard for the character of servants end
 in mere negations4 ,they should have   
the positive influence of a ,christian  
temper in the family1 and1 when         
arbitrary creeds do not prevent it1 they
 should have liberty to be present at   
such family devotions as may be held for
 the edifying of the household4 ,so do  
we interpret justice in this relation in
 its bearing on fortune and character4  
,some might think our view very         
defective1 from leaving out the element 
of entire social equality4 ,if by this  
be meant a recognition of the moral     
worth of faithful servants1 we make the 
recognition1 and deem them the equals of
 all whom they equal in character4 ,but1
 if social familiarity be the test of   
equality1 it is answer enough that this 
is a matter of congeniality or elective 
affinity1 and nothing could be more     
arbitrary and unjust than to force      
persons into a familiarity for which    
their education1 tastes1 and labors     

disqualify them4 ,such a course would   
comport as little with justice as with  
mercy4  ,mercy1--rest upon that word4   
,we have said that both parties should  
be trusty1 and have urged justice upon  
the master especially4 ,we now add1 that
 he should merciful4  ,we are all frail 
and erring1 and need great forbearance  
for ourselves4 ,why be unwilling to     
bestow it on the less favored8 ,we all  
make some mistakes1 and how can we      
expect the less intelligent to be freer 
from error8 ,why be irritated if every  
thing is not done precisely to our      
liking8 ,they that forbear threatening  
may win better service by that fact1 for
 nothing so provokes carelessness and   
disheartens effort1 as the impatience   
that regards a mistake as a crime1 and  
brands an oversight as an insult4  ,we  
ourselves are variable in health1       
spirits and energy1 and must make       
allowance for the like variation in     
persons probably less disciplined than  
ourselves4 ,we may show due             

consideration without fickleness1 and   
kindness without familiarity4 ,cruel1   
indeed1 is the wrong that confounds the 
fidelity that is struggling to do well  
in spite of temporary illness1 with the 
idleness that wantonly neglects any     
well-known duty4 ,some misgivings very  
kind people may reasonably have in      
regard to servants in feeble health2 and
 the ,christian charity of a community  
will continue very deficient until they1
 who render faithful service1 are cared 
for better in private houses or proper  
institutions in seasons of sickness4    
,upon this subject we are apt to speak  
too arrogantly when we contrast our     
domestic manners with those of persons  
burdened with bond servants1 and to call
 him as of necessity a tyrant who may be
 more than ourselves a protector4 ,in   
our just condemnation of slavery1       
remember that much kindness lightens its
 bonds2 and1 remembering too1 the       
millions of dollars in legal property   
which masters have relinquished1 when we

 preach1 as we may justly do1 stern     
self-sacrifice to others1 learn well    
that the duty of caring for inferiors   
has applications quite as solemn under a
 ,northern as under a ,southern sky4    
,it is common1 ,i know1 to talk of the  
ingratitude of inferiors and the        
thanklessness of mercy4 ,alas6 there is 
enough in our own hearts to justify     
misgivings1 and when we think how       
ingrate we are1 we may look more with   
pity than bitterness upon the           
indifference with which so many receive 
favors1 sometimes making their very     
constancy the plea of insolent demand4  
,nevertheless1 mercy will not be without
 reward1 and1 in due season1 will       
penetrate with its own spirit minds     
sadly blunted by harsh usage4 ,hand in  
hand with judgment and rectitude1 it    
will win here below the promised        
blessing1 and obtain its own beatitude  
for its giver4  ,mercy1--what is it but 
humanity--love in its downward look1 the
 look with which ,jesus went about among

 men8 ,looking thus downward1 the soul  
sees a verdure1 and rejoices in a genial
 light and warmth not found in any proud
 star-gazing3 for the best blessing of  
heaven is reflected upon its lowly gaze4
 ,mercy1--he who comes short of it1     
comes short of his neighbor and his     
,god4 ,it is the ground of all devotion4
 ,the home where it dwells not1 dwells  
without ,god in the world4 ,more than   
can be expressed in any act1 we need it2
 even an abiding sentiment1 broad as our
 race1 deep as our need4 ,looking upon a
 criminal1 a blunt preacher said2 ,there
 goes ,john ,newton1 but by the grace of
 ,god4 ,says an old divine3 ,well may   
masters consider how easy a             
transposition it had been for ,god to   
have made him to mount into the saddle  
that holds the stirrup1 and him to sit  
down at the table who stands by with the
 trencher4 ,looking upon our inferior   
any where1 let us have something at     
heart which says3 ,friend1 brother1 true
 ,i am better off in this world's goods 

than you1 but whether fortune or desert 
has made the difference1 that fact does 
not decide1 and1 whether deserved or    
undeserved1 my superiority teaches      
humility1 not pride--responsibility1 not
 arrogance4  ,review now the course of  
meditation upon the more direct home    
duties4 ,we treated of ties of nature in
 speaking of parents1 children1 brothers
 and sisters2 of ties elective in       
speaking of husbands and wives1 friends2
 and now we add the last class of       
elective ties1 by passing from relations
 of equality to that of master and      
servant4 ,we have cherished through     
these pages a degree of home feeling    
together1 and in some points our various
 experiences must have accorded4 ,such  
subjects cannot be treated with any sort
 of fidelity1 without touching some deep
 convictions and sacred remembrances4   
,they have solemnity and also           
cheerfulness1 telling of vast privileges
 to impress momentous duties4  ,thus    
onward do we go1--not alone1 but with   

companions1 superiors1 equals1          
inferiors--all giving and taking        
influence2 if we will have it so1 ,god  
with us through all and in all4 ,if     
superiors inflame ambition1 let them    
teach respect2 if equals make our       
enjoyment1 let them move our good will2 
if inferiors tempt our pride1 let them  
kindle our benevolence4 ,we cannot      
cherish this spirit in vain4 ,a kindly  
heart will win from the lowly many a    
blessing1 and develope many a power4    
,among the thoughts that give peace to a
 man's dying pillow1 none will be       
sweeter than the remembrance or image of
 those whose lowly condition he has     
bettered1 and asked no reward of the    
world4 ,since ,christ has lived1 rich   
indeed has been the heavenly treasure   
laid up by such compassion towards those
 who bear the world's heavy burdens and 
have few of its smiles4 ,forgetting     
them1 we forget our ,saviour1 who made  
their cause so his own1 and we repudiate
 our share of ,his blessing upon the    

faithful servant6     ,the ,divine      
,guest4     ,,the ,,divine ,,guest4     
,the long rainy season was over1 the    
roads once more were settled1 and the   
happiest festival of all the year joined
 with the charms of ,spring to draw the 
,hebrew people toward their sacred city4
 ,nowhere in the whole land was there   
more to cheer the eye than in the       
beautiful town through which the festal 
caravans from the north were now passing
 on their way to the ,passover4 ,jericho
 was called the ,city of ,palms1 from   
the profusion of those stately trees in 
its fertile valley4 ,these now added    
spring blossoms to their evergreen      
foliage2 the sycamore was beginning to  
give cheering promise of its figs1 and  
the balsam-tree1 whose gum was worth    
twice its weight in silver1 was showing 
its scanty and precious bloom in the    
walled gardens1 whose wealth ,mark      
,anthony gave to ,cleopatra as a fit    
gift from a conqueror to a queen4 ,the  
people were astir with the excitement of

 the season1 as the travellers began to 
pour into the city4 ,soon word went     
round that the noted prophet1 ,jesus of 
,nazareth1 was approaching1 with a large
 company about him4 ,the wonder grew1 as
 the report of a great miracle upon the 
blind ,bartimeus went from mouth to     
mouth4 ,the fever reached into quarters 
not abounding in ,jewish enthusiasm1 and
 quickened the calmer blood of the      
revenue officers of the ,roman          
government4 ,the chief of them went out 
to get a glimpse of the famous preacher1
 whom so many hailed as the             
long-expected ,messiah4 ,the rich       
publican1 being a man of small stature1 
and1 from his political relations1 not  
likely to receive much civility from the
 crowd at such a time1 climbed up into a
 sycamore fig-tree1 whose spreading     
branches probably overhung the street4  
,if seen at all by the populace it was  
with little favor1 for they hated alike 
his connection with ,rome and his lax1  
or1 perhaps1 his enlarged views of the  

,jewish creed4 ,to the surprise of all  
as much as himself1 the publican is     
singled out by the ,messiah from among  
them all in the words3 ,zaccheus1 make  
haste and come down2 for to-day ,i must 
abide in thy house4 ,the result of this 
interview is all that is said of        
,christ's stay in that place4 ,the city1
 once an abode of kings1 has passed     
away1 and enough of its ruin only       
remains to allow tradition to point out 
in a crumbling tower and a solitary tree
 the publican's house and watch post4   
,the story remains1 the burden of the   
rude rhyme of the primer1 a text for    
many a homily of old1--a topic for us   
now4  ,and what does it teach so much as
 this3 that ,christianity1 like ,christ 
himself1 ever strives to make the       
spectator feel that he is seen and is   
followed home8 ,religion at home is the 
lesson1 religion as a check upon        
personal domestic feelings1 and the life
 of domestic graces4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,there is  

force in the point of view thus         
presented in the change of the critic   
into the subject of criticism4          
,christianity is apt to be regarded as a
 public ceremonial1 a holiday spectacle1
 associated with fair weather and large 
assemblies4 ,people respect its         
institutions1 and desire the influence  
of them upon themselves and their       
families1 are glad to be impressed by   
any peculiar eloquence1 and instructed  
by any peculiar wisdom4 ,but are they   
ready enough to take the attitude that  
becomes them in view of the appeals of  
religion8 ,do they listen to the ,gospel
 as to the voice of ,god speaking to    
them personally2 and beyond the church  
and ministry1 do they recognize the     
,providential power that has founded    
these institutions1 and which           
condescends to act through them8 ,is    
there not sometimes a reversal of the   
true point of view8 ,instead of         
reverence in the sanctuary1 is there not
 superciliousness8 ,are there not many1 

who seem never to have thought of bowing
 their heads in devotion1 who have      
learned to wag them with the airs of    
supercilious criticism8 ,are there not  
many who are pushed up far higher in    
conscious elevation1 than the publican's
 sycamore tree2 who need to hear the    
voice of the ,master speaking from his  
,gospel and ,church1 ,come down1 make   
haste1 for to-day ,i must abide in thy  
house8         99       99       99     
99       99  ,thy house6--still nearer  
the appeal is brought by this           
expression4 ,thy house6 ,i will go home 
with thee1 says the ,master always in   
his ,word1 and his search-warrant has   
never lost its power4 ,there is         
something in every heart that shrinks   
from public gaze1 and every family      
justly cherishes the privacy of the     
household4 ,but ,god1 if he sees us any 
where1 sees us there1 and we reverence  
,him1 as we receive ,his ,word as our   
household guest4 ,there can be no       
serious faith or purpose until we come  

to this1 and are ready to take religion 
home with us4 ,it will very likely show 
things in a new1 and sometimes startling
 light4 ,we may1 perhaps1 pass a        
tolerably creditable examination1 when  
tested by our manner in street1 or      
church1 or general society4 ,sometimes  
the deference of good breeding may wear 
the look of inherent kindness1 and      
refinement of address may seem like     
spirituality of character4 ,it was a    
severer trial for the publican1 ,to-day 
,i must abide with thee1 than the mere  
summons to ,make haste1 and come down4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is a trial that we must all undergo 
the moment we begin to think seriously  
for ourselves2 a trial1 too1 that cannot
 be shunned without losing the best     
blessings of life4 ,let the household be
 examined according to the standard1    
which we do honestly regard as          
reasonable and religious4 ,what are the 
household gods8 ,we have not1 like the  
,romans1 the custom of setting up images

 in our homes1 and keeping a votive     
flame always burning before them4 ,yet  
the sentiment which the ,roman custom   
expressed1 we must in some way          
entertain4 ,every household has its     
idols1 the emblems of its faith or      
infidelity4 ,it has many associations   
peculiar to itself1 and makes its own   
choice moreover among the associations  
that prevail in the neighborhood1 or    
world1 or age4 ,it has its own ,manes1  
or its especial remembrances of the     
departed2--it has its ,lares1 or        
favorite family standards2--it has its  
,penates1 or its own selection from the 
idols or authorities of the people4     
,these influences exist in the highest  
home and in the humblest--are to be     
traced in the old nobilities1 whose     
caste1 party1 and creed1 are fixed by   
the allegiance of a thousand years1 and 
in the unpretending villager who thinks 
himself highly favored in ancient lore1 
as he reads in his family ,bible the    
name and birth of his grandfather4 ,nor 

are the same influences wholly wanting  
to those who wish to repudiate their    
ancestry1 the spendthrift upstarts of   
fortune1 whose crest1 manufactured to   
order1 is but an attempt to hide the    
only honorable fact in the family       
history1 that one ancestor was a plain1 
industrious man1 with energy enough to  
earn by his trade the wealth that heirs 
squander in folly4 ,generally1 it needs 
little antiquarian study to learn the   
ruling genius of the house4 ,it is not  
only in the house of ,atreus or         
,oedipus1 or in the line of the ,stuarts
 and the ,bourbons1 that family griefs  
have their succession1 and a thread of  
tragedy runs through their whole        
history4 ,every family is troubled with 
its besetting sorrows and sins4 ,no man 
is wise until he understands his own    
pedigree1 and interprets himself1 not   
simply as an isolated fact in the world1
 but as a branch of the life-tree upon  
which he grew4 ,if reflection does not  
inform the family of its peculiar       

traits1 experience will not fail to make
 the revelation4 ,the idle chat of the  
house will often exhibit the ruling     
spirit1 and the prattle of many a       
lisping child betrays the idols that he 
has been trained to honor4 ,some names  
of folly or wisdom most frequent on the 
lips alike of parents and children1 will
 be the household words that show the   
spirit that predominates4 ,these names1 
and all attendant influences1 are to be 
judged by their bearing on the true aims
 of home4 ,ask a few plain questions as 
the ,master asks in the appeals of his  
religion4  ,does content live with us1  
or its opposite1 discontent8 ,the       
question cannot be answered by any      
general considerations of fortune or    
position4 ,surely discontent is found in
 the most extreme cases1 and wealth     
feels often very poor and limited       
because its desires rise with its means1
 and its means may be distanced far by  
some more successful aspirant to        
fortune4 ,discontent1 ready guest of    

heart and home always1 but never more   
frequent than among us with whom plenty 
so swells desire1 and competition so    
quickens rivalry6 ,with us1 alas1 too   
frequent guest1 impoverishing abundance 
by inordinate desires1 and burdening too
 many with cares and anxieties beyond   
reason and beyond strength6 ,often sad  
effect of our luxurious civilization1   
that in apparently the greater number of
 households1 property brings new forms  
of want1 and the demands of ostentation 
become more rapacious than the natural  
appetites6 ,how many need now and always
 to lower their vain pride1 and dignify 
their mediocrity or consecrate their    
affluence by hearing the ,master's voice
 ,come down3 to-day ,i must abide in thy
 house4  ,in some especial form the     
spirit of discontent is apt to tempt    
every household1 in view of some        
especial want1 or vanity1 or ambition4  
,with it1 too1 come some elements of    
strife1 or indifference1 or worldliness1
 that need peculiar watching4 ,domestic 

life1 indeed1 is sacred from prying     
curiosity1 and it argues generally      
little to one's credit1 to be very      
accurately posted up in the accounts of 
home troubles4 ,without playing the part
 of the busybody1 we may study the facts
 of human nature1 and be aware of the   
developments of society4 ,we may        
believe1 that where several wills are   
brought together1 they can harmonize    
only as they agree by appealing to a    
common standard2 that no tempers1       
however pliant1 can accord without      
mutual principle2 that none in authority
 can govern others without first        
governing themselves2 that a ,christian 
spirit1 earnest1 kindly1 devoted1 is the
 only safeguard of the peace and        
elevation of the home4  ,what to many   
seems the very genius of household      
comfort1 an easy1 pleasant worldliness1 
is a wretched dependence1 and will serve
 one very little in bearing up against  
the trials of affliction1 or the dangers
 of prosperity4 ,worldliness may furnish

 a house1 but it needs more1 far more1  
to make a home4 ,too often the very     
spirit that prides itself upon crowding 
the house with magnificence1 robs it of 
every true home grace4 ,whatever may be 
the show of hospitality1 there is no    
good cheer for an earnest heart1 nothing
 that returns the ,christian            
benediction1 ,peace be with this house4 
,too often what is called by eminence1  
society1 has not one truly social       
element4 ,we read that some years ago1  
when the button-makers of ,england were 
in distress1 the ,court relieved them at
 once by directing four extra buttons to
 be added to the coat tails of approved 
mode4 ,a refined traveller from ,france1
 ,germany1 or even ,england1 might      
suppose that most of our city society   
had originated in some such benevolent  
purpose1 and our usual style of party   
giving had its origin in a movement for 
the relief of confectioners1            
dancing-masters1 dressmakers1 and liquor
 dealers1 so monstrous is our outlay of 

money in their line1 and so feeble our  
sense of artistic beauty and            
conversational zest4 ,no less a guest   
than he who went with the ,publican is  
needed to give the true grace1 and as   
,christ has been reverently and         
affectionately received1 homes have     
abounded4 ,there was far more of favor  
than rebuke in the offer then made1 and 
so it has always proved1 whenever and   
however accepted4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,what is it to    
take the ,master home with us1 but to   
receive the most tender and intimate    
revelation of ,god's love ever granted  
to men1--a searching judge1 an honest   
censor indeed1 but more than this1 a    
compassionate friend1 a heavenly        
comforter8 ,receive him thus1 and the   
whole tone of life rises4 ,discontent1  
strife1 worldliness1 are rebuked4 ,the  
dwelling then rests upon the ,rock of   
,ages1 the light of heaven comes mingled
 with the sunshine1 and divine nurture  
goes with the daily bread and the vital 

air4 ,a ,supreme will being recognized1 
all refractory desires are checked and  
finally subdued into the subjection     
which is perfect freedom4 ,all the while
 a reserve power is preparing for the   
emergencies that may arise4 ,then man   
proves his best dignity by adorning     
strength with gentleness4 ,the woman    
rises to her true power by the magic    
touch of that confiding faith1 which    
ever wins divine virtue from the        
,master's mantle1 even as for the lowly 
suppliant at ,capernaum4  ,limitation of
 means is borne with equanimity1 and    
developes new energies instead of       
breaking down the spirits4 ,enlarged    
fortune widens the sphere of            
beneficence1 and repeats the ,publican's
 vow in some way3 ,lord1 the half of my 
goods ,i give to the poor2 and if ,i    
have taken any thing from any man by    
false accusation1 ,i restore him        
fourfold4 ,new jubilee of justice and   
generosity would it not be1 if true     
guidance of the households of           

,christendom could train desires and    
purposes1 such as sprung up in that     
man's heart whilst ,jesus of ,nazareth  
dwelt in his home4 ,we know not all that
 transpired in the interview between    
this kindly host1 and his ,divine guest2
 but the conclusion leads us to believe 
that the conversation turned less upon  
the forms of ceremony and degrees of    
belief1 than upon practical             
righteousness1 such as appeared         
impressed so mightily upon the heart of 
,zaccheus in making his declaration of  
the worth of justice and mercy4 ,how    
many households would at once stop their
 folly and extravagance1 and open their 
eyes to the solemn realities of life1 if
 the ,divine guest were to be sought in 
such a spirit4  ,as to the precise form 
in which ,christianity should be        
acknowledged in the family1 we do not   
propose to lay down any minute1 much    
less any arbitrary rules4 ,the great    
thing is to cherish a sense of ,god's   
presence1 and providence1 and rule the  

spirit in the piety and charity which he
 approves4 ,the stated recognition of   
his authority we urge ever1 and the     
desirableness of regular use of the     
scriptures1 and prayer daily in the     
home4 ,if there be fear of routine and  
indifference1 let a true purpose        
overcome that1 and prove that the most  
thorough habit comports with1 nay       
favors1 the highest freedom1 and the    
soul1 like the body1 is not shackled by 
an accustomed method of nurture4 ,of    
course1 no round of ceremonials can be  
any substitute for living religion2 and 
there is proof enough1 that the most    
rigid routine of lip service may        
co-exist with the utmost asperity and   
worldliness4 ,tokens1 alas1 there are   
sometimes1 that what passes for piety   
may bring no ,christian graces to the   
dwelling2 and some bigot1 who mistakes  
hatred of the world for godliness1 or   
some flaunting modist1 who has adopted a
 church as a fashion1 may bring         
churlishness or conceit in sheep's      

clothing into the house4 ,these1 and all
 such shams1 make true religion more    
beautiful1 and lend new attraction to   
the page which records the visit of     
,christ to a dwelling which the scowling
 ,pharisee scorned1 but which the love  
of ,god so richly blessed4  ,then let   
the ,master be welcome to the household4
 ,we cannot do without him4 ,we need him
 to keep us in ,god and with one        
another4 ,let the atmosphere of the home
 have the fragrance of his heavenly     
spirit4 ,it was one of the trials of the
 early ,christians1 that they could not 
live in pagan households without being  
constantly pained by symbols and usages 
hostile to their faith4 ,the ,greek or  
,roman wife1 if converted to the        
,gospel1 was scandalized by the idols on
 the hearth-stone1 and often brought to 
death for refusing to join in the       
idolatry2 whilst in the camp and court1 
paganism was constantly thrusting its   
pageants upon the follower of the cross4
 ,our modern life is not much troubled  

with many such tests of faith1 and most 
of our more showy households are utterly
 innocent of any signs either of        
,christian or ,pagan import in their    
furniture4 ,from what is seen in some   
parlors1 whether in books or            
periodicals1 or in pictures or statues1 
we might infer the fondness of the      
dwellers1 now for the battle or the     
chase2 now for the shows of fashion1 or 
the haunts of dissipation2 now for the  
wonders of science and art2 now for the 
shipping interest and the stock market4 
,but too rarely does the household have 
a true and expressive representation of 
the ideas most precious to a ,christian 
mind4 ,an ostentatious vulgarity is too 
much the rule in constructing and       
adorning the dwelling1 and a ,christian 
taste is the exception4 ,how many of our
 showy dwellings1 instead of impressing 
a cultivated foreigner with a sense of  
the owner's refinement or spirituality1 
would only make it clear that the owner 
had money in plenty to spend1 and knew  

not how to spend it wisely4 ,let these  
things be looked to4 ,let the economy of
 the household be of itself a confession
 of faith4 ,let there he something to   
show that they who dwell here are ,god's
 children1 and live within his kingdom4 
,let not gold be lavished upon unmeaning
 articles that show rather the capacity 
of expense than the capacity of         
meditation1 or which1 like the mirrors  
that are the chief ornament of so many  
houses1 favor no reflection beyond that 
of the vanity which they multiply4 ,if  
we care for art1 let ,christian art be  
not slighted1 and with the landscape    
that portrays the beauty or grandeur of 
creation1 let there be some expressive  
token that the ,father has watched over 
men by his ,providence1 and blessed     
their homes by his ,word4 ,we are       
changing people1 almost a nomad race4   
,one of the oldest inhabitants of this  
metropolis lately remarked1 that within 
his knowledge1 not one man now keeps    
house in the dwelling occupied by his   

father4 ,of this fact ,i know nothing1  
yet sure it is1 that we need in the     
frequent change of abodes1 to build more
 deeply and securely the spiritual home1
 and live more among the memorials of   
things eternal4 ,in the absence of      
ancestral homesteads with their hallowed
 scenes and memorials1 we should seek to
 transmit some lasting tokens of our    
mind1 and not make our households as    
evanescent in their array as the fickle 
breath of this world's fashions4 ,in    
some way surely our best thoughts and   
labor should live for those who come    
after us1 and with goods few or many1 as
 may be1 there should go some witness of
 truth eternal4 ,alike from our common  
nature and our peculiar vicissitudes1 we
 need to be deeply grounded in the love 
of ,him who came to open heavenly       
mansions into our earthly habitations1  
and to make ,him our abiding guest4     
,looking into the ancient books of      
devotion1 ,i find this date associated  
with a household name1 and sacred to the

 memory of a ,christian woman1 ,monica1 
the mother of ,augustine4 ,such thoughts
 of home and its best influences are    
well1 coming to us1 as they do1 so      
fragrant with the friendly and pious    
affections of ages4 ,monica lived long  
enough to see her wayward boy a firm    
disciple at last1 and after all his     
wanderings of thought1 devoted to       
,christ with all the enthusiasm of his  
nature4 ,how touching is that passage of
 his confessions in which he speaks of  
laying her body in the grave1 and       
returning to his lonely home to bless   
her for her faithful care1 and lament   
his blindness to her gentle pleadings4  
,how comforting the hymn of ,ambrose    
that rose to his mind1 as if by some    
angel's whisper1 and lifted his thoughts
 to the realm whither mother and son had
 trusted to meet in a companionship     
beyond parting and beyond tears4 ,bless 
this and all like remembrances in former
 times1 or in our own experience4       
,praise ,god for all the peace and      

power1 the loveliness and wisdom1 that  
have entered the homes where ,christ has
 been welcomed4 ,let praise continue in 
prayer1 and live in watching and good   
works4  ,first of ,may4     ,the        
,orphan4     ,,the ,,orphan4   ,the     
genial air of ,may comes to us all laden
 with the sweet breath of opening       
blossoms1 and has a balm for the spirits
 as well as for the health4 ,it stirs   
within us a sentiment deeper than we    
know how to define1 revives our chilled 
or buried ideals1 and makes every heart 
young again4 ,it cannot but give        
something of its own tone to our        
thought1 and we find that in all nations
 this month has been a continued        
festival in the calendar1 and associated
 with the loveliest imagery of earth and
 heaven4 ,the heathen nations1 who gave 
the month its present name1 called it so
 after the fairest of their goddesses1  
and ,christians following a similar     
sentiment1 and desirous also of         
enlisting every natural feeling in the  

service of a purer faith1 transferred   
the honors of ,maia to ,mary1 and in    
every land white flowers deck the       
shrines of the ,madonna1 and the ,hail  
,mary is the burden of the matin and    
vesper hymn4 ,some of the hymns and     
aspirations connected with the season   
convey thoughts with which an earnest   
,protestant may sympathize1 and grateful
 for the maternal love that has made our
 lives so blessed1 we cannot ridicule1  
although we cannot imitate the ,italian 
devotee1 who salutes the ,holy ,mother  
as the representative of ,god's tender  
mercy to man through her sex1 in words  
of such fervor3--    ,joy of my heart6  
,o let me pay   ,to thee thine own sweet
 month of ,may4    ,mother6 be love of  
thee a ray   ,from ,heaven to show the  
heavenward way4    ,sweet ,day-,star6   
let thy beauty be   ,a light to draw my 
soul to thee4  ,may we not once more    
speak the name of ,mary1 the ,blessed   
,mother1 not to adore her as a divinity1
 but to win from her an illustration of 

our common humanity in one of its great 
sorrows and consolations8 ,cheerfully as
 under the returning smile of heaven1   
solemnly as in presence of much grief1  
our meditation now turns upon orphanage 
of the affections1 as one of the facts  
of our homes1 and upon the secondary    
relations which may be its solace4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,consider1 first of all1 the fact as one
 of the events of every life1 sooner or 
later4 ,mary at the ,cross is a         
representation of our common humanity in
 its bereavements4 ,every mother and    
every parent in some way enters into her
 anguish1 as she saw the life of her    
,divine ,son ebbing from those cruel    
wounds4 ,she was indeed doubly          
bereaved1--at once childless and        
fatherless for the victim upon the      
,cross had been at once the son of her  
travail and the father of her faith1    
born of her into the world that she     
might be born of ,him into the spiritual
 kingdom4 ,his own pains did not make   

,him insensible to her anguish1 nor     
indifferent to the fact common to our   
nature1 which feels itself always so    
void and desolate1 when the being of all
 most loved is suddenly taken away4     
,tenderly ,he provided for her the      
consolation that she needed1 by         
commending her to the disciple1 whose   
ever present kindness would be so great 
a solace in itself1 and so powerful a   
remembrance of the departed by its      
associations4 ,the disciple took to his 
house from that hour the mother of ,him 
upon whose bosom he had leaned4  ,life  
is full of cases that illustrate the    
same principles1 although not connected 
with facts so peculiar4 ,it may be said 
indeed1 that some kind of orphanage is  
the lot of every person1 whose years are
 not early cut off1 and whose heart is  
not utterly hardened against home       
affections4 ,the order of nature is that
 children should survive their parents1 
and very many of us in tender childhood 
have learned the worth of kind and      

judicious parents1 by being called to   
face the trials and cares of life       
without their counsel and comfort4 ,when
 the case is reversed1 and the parent is
 mourner for the child1 the desolation  
of the heart is quite as great1 and the 
affections1 deprived of their wonted    
object1 are1 perhaps1 more deeply       
wounded than the child's can be1 even   
when losing the only protector in losing
 the parent2 so strongly do the         
affections press downward1 and so       
mightily does the love that sacrifices  
so much for offspring grow by its own   
exercise4 ,every day this bereavement   
strikes somewhere1 and since my last    
word to you1 it has stricken parents    
whose oldest child was last ,sunday     
present at church1 and to-day is in his 
grave2--on ,sunday ,i spoke to that     
bright boy pleasantly at our school1 and
 on ,friday said the funeral service    
over his coffin4 ,never can such a      
bereavement come without leaving a      
feeling of double orphanage1 for parents

 in losing their offspring lose at once 
an instructor as well as a pupil2 and   
surely the eldest born of a family1     
however young1 is spiritually father or 
mother of much that is best in the      
parent's heart4 ,survey life in its     
whole compass1 enlarge our own          
experience by observation1 and we need  
no argument to interpret ,mary's        
desolation at the ,cross1 or to learn   
that some form of orphanage is the      
common lot2 nay1 that before life       
ceases1 some portion of our life is     
severed1 when those in whose            
companionship we had lived are taken    
away4 ,the world is full of such        
desolation1 and there are many to whom  
existence is a burden1 because its light
 has thus gone out4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,but ,god has     
always some providential alleviations in
 store for such bereavement1 and let us 
turn from the fact to its solace4 ,in   
some form the mercy of that voice from  
the ,cross may always be heard1 ,woman1 

behold thy son6 ,disciple1 behold thy   
mother6 ,the ,christian church itself   
never practically unmerciful to its     
people1 even in its sternest days1 has  
always rejoiced to comfort orphanage by 
the solace of secondary relations2      
providing new proteges for the          
childless1 new guardians for the        
fatherless1 and new homes for the       
homeless4 ,there are few families of    
large experience and just feeling1 where
 something of this same office has not  
been performed2 and where1 although     
other gifts may not be needed1 the      
solace of sympathy is never withheld4   
,it becomes an important practical      
question with many1 how those secondary 
relations shall be formed1 which may in 
some measure take the place of the ties 
severed by death4 ,here may be children 
without father1 or mother1 or both4     
,here are homes that are childless      
either through death or by the absence  
of the blessing1 whose absence is of    
itself to our nature as a bereavement4  

,it is not well to leave the heart void1
 and ,god himself1 whose ,spirit moved  
our ,saviour to commend his mother to   
his disciple1 has provided alleviations4
 ,they who need them for themselves or  
seek them for others must use their best
 judgment and principle in the choice4  
,there may be gross wrong or frivolous  
error in the selection1 for there are   
some so desperate as to drown grief in  
dissipation1 and others so light-minded 
as to lavish upon a parrot1 or a dog1 or
 a horse1 the affections that belong to 
immortal creatures4  ,there are three   
most obvious modes of selection4 ,the   
orphan finds a protector by some natural
 relationship1 or by attracting some    
guardian friend1 or by being placed     
under the care of one1 who occupies by  
marriage the position of the parent     
taken away4 ,each of these secondary    
relations has been full of blessing1 as 
also of danger and trial4 ,many are the 
cases in which a desolate child has been
 abused by a relative1 swindled by a    

friend1 and oppressed by a stepfather or
 stepmother4 ,but not judging through   
plays and romances1 but through life as 
we see it from a perhaps favored        
position1 we have cause of much         
satisfaction in view of the secondary   
relations spoken of4 ,how many a lonely 
child finds counsellors and helpers     
among kindred and friends1 who keep     
alive in his heart the parent's memory  
by their kindness1 and deepen the first 
relation by the second6 ,how many       
desolate parents comfort themselves by  
comforting others2 and how much grief is
 soothed1 like ,mary's1 by distilling   
healing balm for others from its own    
wounds6 ,among the ministers of mercy1  
that cheer this too benighted world1    
none is more powerful than that which   
carries comfort to the suffering in the 
name of some departed child2 and who    
shall number the countenances that      
contemplate the little ones1 whose      
angels behold the face of our ,father in
 ,heaven1 to copy their tenderness1 and 

throw their light upon the path of the  
disconsolate8  ,of one class of         
secondary relations1 ,i cannot but say a
 word in justice to the subject1 and in 
a different tone from that which usually
 prevails4 ,the word stepmother has     
become a proverb in the language1 and   
persons who should know better1         
sometimes idly speak1 so as to add to   
its odious significance4 ,but may not   
this relation be assumed in so true and 
devoted a spirit1 and its offices be so 
performed1 as to be great mercy to the  
orphan8 ,no wonder indeed1 that         
wretchedness comes from the misalliances
 that sometimes introduce a giddy       
trifler without ideas1 or a selfish     
worldling without conscience1 into the  
place that has been made sacred by a    
true ,christian mother now no more in   
the world1--when1 in fact1 some greedy  
hawk creeps into the nest of the dove1  
or the wanton butterfly invades the cell
 of the ant1 or the provoking wasp      
steals the sweets of the honey-bee's    

hive4 ,no wonder that trouble comes1    
when natural rivalries and jealousies   
are embittered by one1 who is mother in 
name but not in feeling1 one whose first
 joy is personal vanity1 and whose least
 wish is to sacrifice any whim for the  
welfare of those now entrusted to her   
care4 ,well may the curse of ,heaven    
rest upon such connections4 ,let not a  
shallow fancy or reckless impulse1 never
 excusable1 but least excusable in      
mature years1 dictate a choice so sacred
 as that which replaces the natural     
parent by another4 ,let the choice be   
guided by words as sacred as those which
 came from the ,cross1 and let him1 who 
commends his children to another's care1
 use his best thought and principle1 as 
if called in this way to say1 ,woman1   
behold thy son6 ,son1 behold thy mother6
  ,whatever may be the form of the      
secondary relation1 whether the virtual 
adoption be from natural relationship1  
from friendliness or by marriage1 two   
obvious principles should preside over  

the choice1 as in the example of the    
,cross4 ,the secondary relation should  
be such as not to shame the first2 and  
such also as to be a mutual blessing1 a 
blessing to the orphaned and the        
protector4 ,when ,jesus commended his   
mother to his most loved disciple's     
care1 he carried out the spirit of his  
own entire life1 and placed her in the  
charge of one whose companionship would 
be a constant remembrance of himself4   
,the lessons of the former years were   
deepened by those that followed--the    
disciple was ever nearer his ,master by 
the mother's presence and the mother was
 nearer to her ,son by the disciple's   
ministry4 ,happy are they whose         
existence1 however saddened by          
bereavement1 is not broken into         
incongruous or antagonistic             
fragments1--happy are the orphan hearts 
who1 like that adopted mother and son1  
cherish throughout life the same high   
allegiance1 and mature their first vows 
in their secondary obligations4  ,this  

cannot well be1 unless the second       
principle named be observed1 and due    
congeniality be found between the       
orphaned and the protector4 ,some choice
 may generally be used1 and the choice  
should turn on the fitness of the one to
 guide and the other to be guided4 ,no  
statement is given of the process in our
 ,saviour's mind1 that led him to make  
the bequest of the ,cross1 that legacy  
of love4 ,but ,he knew what was in man1 
and knew well how much the mother and   
disciple were fitted for that filial    
companionship2 the one by his deep      
intuitive mind fitted to enlighten her  
faith1 and the other by her boundless   
affection fitted to inflame his piety   
and charity1 to kindle his meditative   
wisdom into seraphic love4 ,let not the 
example be lost upon those who shrink   
from claiming equal sanctity4 ,are any  
of us to choose for an orphan or a      
half-orphan a protector1 whether a      
guardian or an adopted parent1 remember 
the legacy of the ,cross1 and in        

,christ's name minister to the desolate4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,we have illustrated first1 the fact
 of orphanage1 and secondly1 the        
secondary relations that may be its     
alleviation4 ,may we not add1 that where
 the principles recommended are adopted1
 great blessing results to both parties 
concerned1 the protector1 and the       
protected4 ,if1 as the poet says1    ,an
 orphan's curse would drag to hell      
,a spirit from on high6  an orphan's    
blessing can lift to the mercy-seat of  
,god a frail spirit of the earth4 ,many 
a time has this blessing been granted1  
and they who have befriended the lonely1
 have found a friend in ,god's own      
,providence4 ,is it not remarkably the  
case1 that orphan children when         
judiciously and kindly counselled and   
cautioned1 well repay all solicitude1   
and well appreciate1 as a gratuitous    
offering from their protector1 the care 
which1 if from a parent1 they might     
regard as a matter of course1 hardly    

claiming any grateful recognition8 ,a   
relation of peculiar beauty sometimes   
springs up1 at once filial and friendly1
 blending in itself the affections both 
of companion and child4 ,the remark     
applies to step-children as well as to  
those who are wards by adoption or      
guardianship4 ,hence1 says that gifted  
and fervent writer1 ,henry ,zchokke1 not
 rare instances in which step-children  
manifest more cordial sympathy1 more    
touching attachment towards their foster
 parents1 than their own children4 ,for 
what the latter are apt to take as      
matter of obligation1 the former look   
upon as token of disinterested love and 
genuine goodness2 and a grateful mind   
brings before them all the kindness and 
fidelity which they received from       
step-parents in the years of minority4  
,as children1 they may not understand   
what you have given1 although they may  
see how you gave it4 ,but when grown up1
 they understand what you have done for 
them4         99       99       99      

99       99  ,when under this form of   
adoption or the others specified1 there 
is surely enough to interpret such      
secondary relations cheerfully1 and     
history is full of passages1 that       
illustrate the blessing of the legacy of
 the ,cross4 ,in our own experience we  
must in some way interpret that legacy1 
and find its joy or its rebuke4 ,do not 
leave the subject without touching its  
practical point4 ,if such and so general
 is the fact of orphanage1 such are the 
secondary relations which are           
providentially offered1 and such is     
their solace when properly employed1    
there is a lesson from the subject1     
which no person can escape1 a lesson as 
to our duty to our own children and to  
others4 ,first of all1 bear in mind the 
lonely1 and strive to be comforter1 and 
to find comforters for them4 ,think     
tenderly of the orphaned1 who are in any
 way near your own sphere1 whether from 
relationship1 friendship1 or any other  
association4 ,it may not be1 it is not  

generally money1 that is most needed1   
but kindness1 counsel1 encouragement4   
,many an orphan boy is saved by a       
judicious word and timely hand from a   
friend of his lost father or mother1 and
 many a lonely girl finds the path of   
peace and usefulness smoothed for her by
 those who remember the parent's image  
in the daughter's face4 ,the story of   
,moses1 the foundling of the ,nile1 and 
of ,joseph1 the exile from ,jacob's     
house1 is often repeated in the lives of
 youths1 like them in loneliness1 and   
not wholly unlike them in subsequent    
energy and honor4 ,think of this in your
 homes1 and make them pleasant and      
instructive and elevating to some guests
 sought by you1 because you can make    
them happy1 and who will repay your     
blessing better than guests of idleness 
or vanity1 sometimes too eagerly sought1
 who may besot and befool your children 
by folly and excess4 ,think of it in    
your places of business1 and seek       
openings of usefulness for the          

unprotected4 ,then you may hear1 nay1   
have you not heard other voices than    
those of hard traffic there8 then you   
may see1 have you not seen1 springs of  
living water gushing from the dusty     
pavements which you tread8 ,think of the
 orphan4 ,for his own sake1 do it1 and  
for our own and our children's sake4    
,the probability is1 that what others   
ask of us we shall need for ourselves4  
,we must expect that our children will  
be in want of the very sympathy which we
 are to show2 for who can be sure of    
leaving his offspring mature enough in  
years and wisdom to demand no guardian  
care in place of the parental8 ,it      
becomes1 therefore1 an imperious duty to
 educate our children in such a manner1 
as to secure them trusty friends2 to    
give them habits of self-reliance1 that 
shall save them from annoying others by 
burdensome dependence2 to train them to 
conciliating manners1 attractive        
conversation1 elevated ideas1 that shall
 win for them the companionship and     

protection of the wise and good1 keep   
them in right paths1 and mature in their
 new homes all the worthy seeds of old  
scenes and affections4 ,then when the   
hour of our parting comes1 we can think 
not wholly with sorrow of the legacy of 
the ,cross2 believing that they who have
 trusted in us1 may trust in each other1
 or in friends divinely given1 and that 
future years will deepen the former     
communion4  ,the great security1 that   
this shall be so1 is found where ,christ
 placed it1 in the ,father4 ,i will not 
leave you comfortless1--or orphaned1 as 
the word is literally to be             
translated1--,i will come to you4 ,ye   
shall know that ,i am in my ,father1 and
 ye in me1 and ,i in you4 ,they that    
learn to live in the ,father's love1 are
 saved from the worst bereavement1 and  
the orphanage of the earth opens to them
 the parentage of heaven4 ,the first and
 secondary relationships of earth are   
both commended and consecrated by the   
relation prior to them both and primal  

of all1 however late it may be          
understood2 for in spiritual as well as 
earthly ties1 it requires time and      
thought to know our truest friend2 and  
the playmates of an hour win the child  
of mortality's ear more readily than the
 far-seeing parent1 or than the ,ancient
 of ,days1 the ,father of all4 ,remember
 that whatever paternal wisdom or       
maternal tenderness we have ever known  
here1 has its source and archetype on   
high4 ,there dwells the ,godhead that   
spoke and wrought through the victim of 
the ,cross2 there shines the wisdom that
 opened that disciple's vision2 there   
burns the love that glowed in the       
mother's faithful heart4 ,from the      
unseen1 comes all the glory that is     
seen2 and if any of us have an orphaned 
heart1 as in some respects we all may   
have1 let us find its solace in ,god1   
and whatever is ,god's4 ,let the sweet  
breath of ,may1 that whispers to        
devotees of ,mary's holy maternity1 fill
 our hearts with more than vernal       

promise1 ideals of more than human      
loveliness1--call us away from all      
wintry chills to the light and love of  
the ,parent above all parents--to the   
home that unites all homes in one4      
,may4     ,the ,young ,prodigal4        
,,the ,,young ,,prodigal4   ,how marked 
and how various has been the response of
 men to the ,parable of the ,prodigal   
,son since it first came from the lips  
of ,him whose life so exemplified its   
mercy4 ,through all those changing      
centuries1 the home has kept its place  
in the affections of mankind1 and that  
pathetic domestic picture has never     
failed to waken regrets and compassion4 
,the happiest household is not without  
some errors that cry for forgiveness1   
and not many are the families whose     
peace is not troubled by some prodigal4 
,the parable presents at once an example
 of earthly experience and a lesson of  
heavenly mercy4 ,not forgetting the     
heavenly lesson1 we dwell now more upon 
the earthly example1 as we speak of the 

prodigal in the family1 especially of   
his fall and his recovery4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,the     
prodigal in the family6 ,far more       
frequently than the world knows1 might  
this epithet in truth be spoken1 for it 
is not by any means from notorious      
spendthrifts and open profligates1 that 
wicked waste scatters the goods of a    
household4 ,if a certain man who had two
 sons1 found in one of them a prodigal  
under the simple manners of a rustic    
age1 what may the father of a large     
family anticipate in a state of society 
which makes extravagance almost a       
necessity1 and in a great city which    
brings the vices and follies of every   
far country on earth to his very door4  
,never perhaps since ,jesus spoke1 have 
,his words found more ample illustration
 than in this great city1 that calls    
thousands and tens of thousands of young
 men from rural homes to the fierce     
scramble for gold1 and the feverish     
chase for pleasure1 and which in so many

 ways offers to drown in dissipation the
 anguish of remorse4  ,it is not by any 
means always the worst boy of the family
 who takes the road to ruin4 ,it may be 
base passion or reckless selfishness    
that leads him astray1 but it is quite  
as likely to be too cordial impulses1   
exposing him to enticing companions1 or 
too sanguine hopes1 entailing upon him  
disappointment and despair4 ,of the many
 prodigals whom we have known in our own
 lifetime1 not a few surely have been   
generous natures1 whom it was impossible
 not to pity1 and not hard to love4     
,sometimes the very temperament that    
makes a youth amiable1 and that should  
make him noble1 wins to him the most    
alluring of tempters1 and he falls      
before some ,satan who comes to him as  
an angel of light4  ,the very tenderness
 shown to him at home may add to his    
besetting weakness1 by encouraging      
habits of self-indulgence4 ,in fact1 the
 parable itself allows room for the     
surmise1 that the younger son1 from     

having less care put upon him than the  
elder1 was less schooled in             
self-reliance1 and because every thing  
was done for him as the pet of the      
family1 he was in danger of doing too   
little for himself4 ,certainly          
indulgence may be as dangerous an       
extreme as sternness1 and as many youths
 are spoiled by over fondness as are    
made desperate by unkindness4 ,sometimes
 both extremes unite in the same fitful 
temper1 and children1 now petted and now
 cursed1 learn indolence and rebellion  
in the same perverse domestic school4   
,rare is the wisdom that can adjust the 
discipline to each temperament1 and     
encourage without over-indulgence1 and  
correct without harshness4 ,not always1 
however1 is the fault of the child to be
 traced to error in the parent1 for     
every child has powers and              
responsibilities of his own1 and besides
 his own perverse will1 there is a third
 party that frequently comes in to make 
mischief4  ,at home or abroad this      

tempter may come1 and in forms as many  
as are the shapes of folly and sin4 ,the
 son may not have erred simply in       
desiring to go from home to seek his    
fortunes4 ,he may have intended to use  
his portion of the inheritance in a more
 profitable way than at home1 and       
perhaps return to the quiet old         
farm-house1 rich in treasure and        
experience1 a benefactor to the whole   
family4 ,youth is full of dreams1 and of
 not ignoble dreams1 and of the         
thousands of young men who every month  
go out into the world to seek their     
fortune1 few1 if any1 mean to throw     
their hopes away in dissipation4 ,young 
blood is ever sanguine1 and fair indeed 
would this earth be1 if it could take   
the hue and shape of the youthful       
visions that have brooded upon its      
future4 ,the very fact that a man hopes 
much1 may throw him into a despair as   
intense as his hope1 and the sanguine   
dreamer may degenerate under            
disappointment into the reckless        

prodigal4 ,the portion of the           
inheritance which was to swell into     
affluence1 being broken by some         
mischance1 seems good for nothing but a 
brief round of pleasure1 and is         
squandered in riotous living4 ,or the   
wanderer may start with the idea that   
expensive habits will secure to him     
friends and position1 until he finds    
that these habits are his masters1 and  
these friends go away when his money is 
gone4 ,let any sober-minded man who has 
consistently tried to use well his means
 and opportunity1 remember the perils   
that have lurked in his own path1 and he
 will make some due allowance for the   
temptations that now beset young men4   
,we are not called to lower in the least
 our standard of virtue1 but we are to  
enlarge our views to measure the extent 
of the danger1 and to relax our severity
 to win the erring to repentance and    
amendment4 ,make the ease our own1 and  
as we look upon the many forms of       
youthful vice and folly around us1 see  

our own youth thus come back to us1 and 
read the sad lessons as so many chapters
 in the book of our own possible        
destiny4 ,such considerations1 instead  
of making us more lax in principle1 will
 make us more strict1 by making us feel 
more deeply the curse of that           
transgression1 which we thus bring home 
to our own thoughts4 ,combine all the   
various sources of temptation1 bear in  
mind the portions that may come         
severally from the youth1 his guardians 
and the world1 and it will not appear   
proof of utter depravity that there     
should be some prodigals on earth4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,the emphasis of the parable turns not  
upon the fall1 but upon the recovery of 
the erring one1 and the portraiture of  
the various steps in the recovery is so 
drawn to the life1 as to answer with due
 change of manners and costume for any  
age4 ,mark its progress1 in the mind of 
the youth and the parent1 and in the    
final reconciliation of the two4  ,mark 

the change in the feelings of the son4  
,in a short time what a transition in   
the lot of this reckless roaming boy4   
,his dream of fortune and pleasure has  
been most rudely broken1 and the        
spendthrift is the penniless outcast4 ,a
 season of famine1 or what in our more  
commercial age would be called hard     
times1 came on1 and the pressure that   
bears upon all drives him to the very   
verge of starvation4 ,where are the gay 
mansions now that opened their doors so 
eagerly to the young stranger1 so lavish
 with his wealth8 ,where are the boon   
companions that borrowed his money1 and 
rode his horses1 and drunk his wine8    
,where such friends are very likely to  
be in time of need2 ready to cut the    
acquaintance of the wretch upon whose   
prosperity they have fattened and       
fawned4 ,he is in a sad plight1 and     
might have been driven to some desperate
 crime--to murder or to suicide1 did he 
not learn one of the blessed lessons of 
,god's ,providence1 and use misery as a 

stern1 yet judicious schoolmaster1 to   
lead him to remorse and penitence4      
,suffering wakens him from his vain     
dream1 and he sees things now as they   
are1--takes upon his shoulders the      
burden of his griefs1--confesses that he
 has abused the very generosity of his  
father1 and is no longer worthy to be   
called his son4 ,remorse1 no proof of   
depravity past redemption1 but proof    
rather that conscience still lives1 and 
is vindicating her holy law1 exalted the
 poor outcast1 even in humbling him to  
the dust1 and lifts the wretch into the 
penitent1 with those words1 ,i will     
arise1 and go to my father4  ,this      
penitence crowns the new experience of  
the prodigal1 and brings him into a new 
sphere of thought and action4 ,he feels 
the power of a love that he had         
slighted1 and which now pleads with his 
soul in an eloquence all the mightier   
from its tone of expostulation and pity4
 ,his childhood reappears to him in all 
its innocence and privilege1--the old   

homestead1 with its familiar walls and  
trees1 haunts him not as a dream1 but as
 the one reality1 and seems to eye his  
wretchedness with wonder and compassion4
 ,he is a changed man now1 and turns his
 face upon the long journey homeward1   
not merely as an outcast hungry and     
miserable1 but as a penitent seeking    
forgiveness of the kindness which he had
 outraged1 and asking to do a servant's 
work on the estate whose income he had  
wasted4  ,look to the other side of the 
picture1 and think of what has been     
going on in the father's heart4 ,no     
particulars are given of his feeling    
during the season of separation1 but his
 heart is a chapter in the book1 that   
life is ever laying open1 and what is   
told of him at the crisis1 indicates    
well his temper during the interval4 ,he
 had but two boys1 and his whole hope   
and love must have centred in them and  
their destiny4 ,they may have been      
dearer to him from being all the        
memorial left to him of the mother long 

since taken from the world4 ,the younger
 may have been the pet of his leisure   
hours1 whilst the elder was busy with   
the cares of the farm2 for there is     
likely to be a pet child in every       
family4 ,but the plain facts are enough 
without laying any tax upon the         
imagination4 ,he had the common heart of
 good men1 and had shown his willingness
 to make sacrifices for his children4   
,many a time in lonely hours he must    
have thought of the wanderer1 and       
wondered if the boy whom he never       
forgot1 could forget him4 ,the          
prosperity of his business1 the plenty  
of his crops1 the number of his flocks  
and herds1 could not satisfy him2 even  
the sight of the son now with him1 but  
reminded him how broken was his family  
and how divided his heart4 ,touches of  
compassion would mingle with his lonely 
regrets1 and remembering the common     
weakness of our humanity1 he would      
consider the amount of temptation in    
wait for every novice1 and have         

misgivings at allowing him to go out    
alone into the world4 ,many a time his  
wistful gaze would rest upon the road   
taken by the departing wanderer1 and he 
would ask himself if the youth would    
ever return1 and in what condition4 ,one
 day as he looked1 that lonely road had 
for him a startling apparition4 ,far in 
the distance appears a tired1 tattered  
wayfarer1 a mere vagrant to the common  
gaze2 but one of the many who seem heir 
of misery1 and for whom compassion      
itself has little reasonable hope4 ,but 
no2 the eye of affection is ever        
sharpsighted1 and the father sees under 
that beggar's garb the step and air of  
his long-lost son2 and one look tells to
 him the whole story of his fortunes4   
,he is a poor and broken-down creature1 
and comes home penitent1 to ask mercy of
 the love that he had so offended4 ,all 
is told in those simple words of welcome
 ,but when he was yet a great way off1  
his father saw him1 and had compassion1 
and ran1 and fell on his neck1 and      

kissed him4  ,this was the meeting--such
 was the reconciliation6 ,full as it is 
of absorbing feeling1 its moral element 
is not to be forgotten4 ,read its       
lessons1 and we note first of all       
forgiveness of the offence in view of   
the penitence of the offender2 secondly1
 restoration to favor on the ground of  
amendment2 thirdly1 justice to all      
parties and no injustice to the rights  
of the elder son1 who had not wasted his
 patrimony1 yet1 who was moved to look  
with a jealous eye at the feasting in   
honor of his prodigal brother's return4 
,mercy is triumphant1 yet justice is not
 slighted1 and whilst the prodigal is   
restored to his place in his father's   
heart and household1 all the            
consequences of his transgression do not
 cease2 his portion of the substance is 
not as if he had wasted nothing1 and he 
is not exempt from a long course of     
self-discipline and correction4         
,forgiveness does not end discipline1   
but rather begins its just action1 by   

bringing the offender into the sphere of
 moral and spiritual allegiance4  ,such 
is the story of the ,prodigal ,son in   
his fall and his recovery--a rich lesson
 of earthly experience and of heavenly  
faith4 ,what family is there that is not
 called at some time1 and in some       
measure1 to apply its point to          
themselves8  ,parents and guardians have
 some trials that the world knows of1   
and some that escape the public ear4    
,rare1 indeed1 the home that has no     
trace of the prodigal1 and makes no     
demand on the heart of forgiveness4 ,our
 prevalent manners seem to set a bounty 
upon prodigality1 and make youth1 the   
true season of control and preparation1 
the ill-timed season for indulgence and 
extravagance4 ,many sons have the       
spending of a prince's income without   
the spur of a prince's ambition2 and    
probably not a few families in our own  
community encourage a reckless waste    
that would be thought wicked in many a  
palace2 whilst the self-will1 thus      

pampered1 is not trained to labor for   
any definite aim or worthy object4 ,in  
homes less affluent1 the case may be    
still worse1 and the sons and daughters 
of persons in a medium position catch   
the bad ambition1 and launch out into an
 extravagance as ruinous as it is       
infatuated4 ,it is wrong--all wrong4    
,the prodigal1 in his craving for       
pardon1 well marked the error of his    
course1 and proved how much he had      
sinned against a father's purpose in    
intrusting him1 prematurely1 with such  
means of usefulness and honor1 to be    
squandered in idleness and shame4 ,happy
 they who learn the lesson without such 
bitter experience1 and who start from   
the first with a worthy object in view4 
,here is the great question that over   
presses upon us3 ,how check the waste of
 talent and substance among our youth8  
how redeem the most susceptible years   
from frivolity and extravagance8 ,there 
can be essentially but one answer1      
however various the forms of its        

expression4 ,from the very first1 let   
the young be trained to pursue some     
worthy object1 and let the ideal of     
dignity be placed not in dainty         
indolence1 but in active usefulness4    
,let every household cherish this creed 
in all its spirit and economy2 let      
education be called perversion when it  
does not foster this purpose2 let mercy 
itself when most tender and forgiving1  
most earnestly breathe this incentive4  
,never was a young generation launched  
forth upon a more alluring and          
bewildering sea than that which now     
wafts its inviting breezes towards our  
rising youth4 ,opportunities thicken and
 dazzle as never before1 and dangers    
multiply with opportunities2 the spur is
 put to self-indulgence1 whilst the     
reins of discipline are slackened1 and  
society is starting upon an untried and 
adventurous track1 that raises in sober 
minds quite as much fear as hope4 ,but  
heaven is always above us1 and its light
 need never fail us4 ,let the blessed   

,master's plea for heavenly mercy reveal
 to us more clearly the way of          
obedience1 and the very tears of        
penitence water the root of faith and   
resolution4 ,youth1 so impassioned1     
self-willed1 sanguine1--be prodigal no  
more4 ,look to the mark placed before   
you by your ,father in heaven1 and      
measure your dignity by your fidelity to
 your work4 ,son--daughter--waste your  
heart and strength no more upon follies 
and sins4 ,you have the happiness of    
many in your keeping1 and the ,infinite 
,parent above will smile upon your      
penitence1 and bless you in your        
fidelity4  ,who can look upon the number
 of youths without high aims and        
faithful purposes1 who are growing up in
 our cities with opportunities so       
unparalleled1 and not find himself      
haunted with that ever-recurring        
question1 ,what shall we do with our    
sons8 ,a state of society that is based 
upon wealth as the chief good1 may offer
 especial danger to the sons1 from the  

very fact that it gave such incentives  
to the energy of the fathers1 and the   
wealth gained in hardship may be wasted 
in dissipation4 ,some sons1 indeed1     
catch the thrift of their laborious     
parents1 and from love of money1 or from
 family pride1 or some better ambition1 
try to keep or increase their           
inheritance4 ,but even these are too    
rarely trained to know the highest uses 
of property1 or the true art of         
employing the leisure which it offers   
for recreations1 that refresh instead of
 dissipating the powers4 ,how many there
 are far below their level1 who seem to 
lose every earnest motive in being free 
from the necessity of exertion1 and who 
give the infection of their corrupt     
idleness and false honor to companions  
who can ill afford any dainty           
self-indulgence4 ,the commercial spirit 
that places business energy at the top  
of the scale of talents and dignities1  
may do something to check such          
prodigality2 but only a thoroughgoing1  

manly purpose1 looking devoutly to      
,god's will and the solemn work of life1
 can lay the axe to the root of the     
evil4  ,consider1 seriously1 young man1 
that you have a work to do in the world1
 whilst it is still called to-day4 ,the 
charm of life1 as well as its true      
honor1 lies in the earnest pursuit of a 
worthy object4 ,beware of adding by your
 presence to the number of young men    
about town1 who are all sail and no     
ballast1 and whose wreck sooner or later
 is produced by the very surface spread 
to the fickle winds of passion4 ,balance
 yourself by the weight of conscious    
responsibility2 guide yourself with a   
single eye to the mark of true living4  
,be something--a genuine reality--not an
 empty sham--something in power and in  
position1 not one of the nothings who   
parrot the reigning follies and vices4  
,be yourself--yourself as ,god has      
called you to be by the gift of your    
powers and opportunities1 instead of    
trying vainly to be somebody else1 by   

affecting ways and honors never intended
 for you2 yes1 be yourself1 even if your
 genius bids you work at the mechanic's 
bench or at the machinist's lathe1      
instead of trying to be somebody else in
 a profession for which you are not     
adapted1 or in aping a lazy gentility   
which is a disgrace to any rational     
creature of ,god4 ,be thus something--be
 thus yourself--and you cannot be false 
to man or ,god4 ,a true master purpose  
will quicken and energize the whole     
being4 ,no longer a prodigal yourself1  
your spirit so free and devoted1 so     
blending hearty manliness with earnest  
faith1 will lead many a wanderer home4  
,education of ,daughters4               
,,education ,,of ,,daughters4   ,nothing
 is more neglected than the education of
 daughters1 said ,fenelon1 in the first 
sentence of his noted work on the       
subject4 ,this cannot be said with truth
 now1 when so much time1 thought and    
money1 are given to their instruction in
 the most opposite quarters4 ,whilst    

thinking upon this topic1 it seems to me
 as if every one of its leading aspects 
had sent a representation of itself to  
help our judgment4 ,this month1 even the
 stranger in our city must have had his 
attention attracted by the costume and  
speech-making of the somewhat brave     
champions of the ,woman's ,rights'      
party1 who have been holding their      
conventions2 and1 as if to show up one  
extreme by another1 the debates of      
radicalism have run parallel with the   
rites of superstition2 and1 on his way  
to the hall that rings with feminine    
voices that claim masculine honors1 he  
may as he passes many churches catch the
 strains of those vesper hymns to the   
,virgin ,mother1 by which ,romanism     
strives to make this beautiful ,mary    
confirm its daughters in the faith1 by  
that ideal of womanhood so deified in   
its own loveliness without need of any  
borrowed grace of man's4  ,in his next  
morning's walk1 he will see in the many 
processions of boarding-school girls    

promenading with no very elastic step1  
quite another aspect of woman's destiny1
 and one that may give him mingled      
feelings as he meditates upon the future
 of ,american mothers and their         
posterity4 ,if the stranger comes from a
 foreign country1 he will be interested 
less in these three aspects of the      
subject1 than in a fourth of far less   
assuming air4 ,he will be more impressed
 with the looks of the daughters of the 
people1 with cheery step on their way to
 the public schools1 than with the      
champions of reform1 the pupils of      
fashion1 or the devotees of the ancient 
ritual4 ,surely the education of girls  
is not neglected among us2 yet1 whether 
it is wisely attended to1 is one of the 
most serious and pressing questions of  
our day1--a question in which every     
family is vitally concerned4 ,there are 
few readers who are not ready to give   
some thought to the true idea and method
 of female education4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,we must 

look for the true idea reverently1 as   
under religious guidance1 not according 
to our own caprices or opinions4        
,nothing surely should awe our wilful   
conceits into docile attention1 more    
than the effort to find the calling and 
the place of the being beyond all others
 dependent upon our care4 ,where but in 
the school of the ,creator and          
,preserver himself1 shall we learn what 
our daughters are called to be under his
 ,providence8 ,where but therein shall  
we learn to decipher that fair and      
wonderful hieroglyph which ,god himself 
carved out in the person of ,eve1 and   
which remains to this day the most      
expressive cipher of heaven's grace and 
care4  ,the language of the ,psalmist1  
so often quoted1 is sufficient to define
 the idea of female education when      
freely interpreted4 ,if our daughters1  
according to his prayer1 should be as   
corner-stones1 polished after the       
similitude of a palace1 it is clear that
 their education is to have             

accomplishment and solidity such as to  
fit them for their place as the main    
supports of social life4 ,they are to be
 polished stones4 ,does not this        
expression bring the sanction of ,holy  
,writ against the too frequent notion   
that woman is made only to be the       
servant of man1 and that her chief      
destiny is to be the drudging underling 
of his will2 not like the polished stone
 of a palace wall1 but the rough rock at
 the foundation1--useful1 indeed1 but   
buried under the dust4 ,this idea exists
 not merely in savage countries1 where  
woman is actually man's slave1 and      
reared to be such from childhood1 so    
that a thoughtful mother mourns when a  
daughter is born2 but our own           
,christendom reads its own darkest      
chapter in the condition of woman1 so   
often forced to drudge for scanty bread 
and raiment1 perhaps abused by the very 
man upon whose bidding she waits1 and   
who dements himself in drunkenness      
whilst she plies her thankless tasks4   

,in many quarters where such            
abominations would be condemned1 views  
radically the same are held1 and an idea
 of woman's destiny prevails which takes
 her from her rightful place as the     
equal of man1 which sinks her into his  
drudge1 without time for intellectual   
and spiritual culture1 with little of   
the leisure and conversation that       
beguile care of its sting1 and toil of  
its weariness4 ,nay1 how often is this  
destiny unconsciously entailed upon     
daughters by thoughtless1 yet not       
consciously unkind1 parents1 who train  
up their girls without high aims and    
enlarged views1 sending them into new   
homes so poorly endowed with commanding 
motives and practical knowledge1 as to  
sink down into the dull monotony of     
domestic drudgery4 ,though the hands may
 not be overtasked1 if the soul is      
weighed down to a servile routine1      
without sentiment or spirituality1 woman
 is the slave of man1--the neglected    
rock beneath his dwelling1 and not the  

polished stone of his home4  ,but this  
is not the chief danger now1 but an     
opposite extreme equally degrading4 ,the
 danger is not that the daughter shall  
lack polish1 but that she will have but 
little else2 and1 instead of being a    
polished stone1 shall be a polished     
vanity with no substance at all4        
,nothing can be more false and fatal    
than the notion that a daughter is to be
 educated for show1 whilst the son is to
 be trained for usefulness4 ,in her own 
way1 the sister has quite as much       
strength of character as the brother has
 in his way1 and she is cruelly treated 
when regarded only as a graceful toy4   
,sometimes this extreme meets the other1
 and she who in her girlhood was a      
dainty plaything1 becomes in womanhood a
 plodding drudge1 without a particle of 
worthy spirit or elevated thought to    
retain the love won by her beauty1 or to
 replace the fervor lost with her youth4
 ,it is very wrong to make              
accomplishments the main thing in female

 education4 ,accomplishments are poor   
tricks1 unless their polish is but the  
smoothness of substantial knowledge and 
judgment4 ,a showy girl who can dance1  
sing1 and prattle two or three foreign  
languages1 without being able to speak  
and write sensibly in her own tongue1 is
 one of the most lamentable of          
counterfeits1 and may chance to blight  
the peace and dignity of more hearts    
than one by her shams4 ,she is the      
product of that flashy system of        
training1 which is doing more mischief  
in ,america than any where else1 and    
making society a tawdry ,vanity ,fair   
instead of a companionship of hearts and
 homes4 ,not a few of our daughters seem
 taught to think that distinction in    
society is graduated by clothes and     
confectionery1 and to measure their     
social honor or obscurity by their      
ability to follow the silly code of     
extravagance4 ,if the folly were        
confined to those who have such         
affluence as craves prodigality in      

expense to reduce the overplus1 it might
 be comparatively harmless1 but it bears
 most severely upon families of limited 
means1 where mothers and daughters are  
in a fever to ape the extravagance that 
they ought to pity4 ,why all this       
infatuated excess in dress8 ,what do our
 daughters1 in their tender years1 need 
for their grace and dignity beyond the  
simplest costume that good taste        
dictates as the fit robing of girlish   
innocence8 ,even a pure ,french taste1  
which1 in other respects favors such    
excess1 teaches an almost ,christian    
simplicity in this respect2 and the     
spectacle1 so common with us1 of school 
girls bedizened with costly dresses of  
all colors1 and loaded with jewels1     
would be ludicrous in a ,parisian       
drawing-room1 as a walking1 jingling    
toy-shop attached to a human creature4  
,it is a fine remark of ,fenelon in     
rebuking the foolish passion for dress1 
that if daughters were educated in a    
purer classic taste1 and would study the

 beautiful in the schools of painting   
and sculpture1 they would shun many     
excesses in costume on account of their 
deformity1 as well as their             
extravagance4 ,what judgment the good   
archbishop would have passed upon our   
present mode of sweeping the dusty      
sidewalks with costly robes of silk and 
velvet1 we have no means of judging1 for
 this folly seems a recent invention4   
,what a recent ,french moralist1 who    
claims to walk in the path of ,fenelon1 
says of ,france1 is doubly true of      
,america3 ,the great care1 says ,l',aime
 ,martin1 is to please the world1 rather
 than to resist it3 the wish is to      
shine1 to reign3--vanity1 that is the   
end to which tender mothers do not cease
 to point their daughters1 and upon     
which the world that pushes them on sees
 them wrecked with indifference6 ,vanity
 in accomplishments6 vanity in dress6   
vanity in learning6 ,this show covers   
all3 to seem1 not to be1 makes the sum  
and substance of education4 ,these      

strong words must have cost the bland   
,french moralist some pain2 but does not
 their strength come from their truth8  
,do they not apply1 with fearful truth1 
to ,american society8 ,does not the     
prevalent code of feminine ostentation  
bear with cruel weight upon our domestic
 life1 making almost a social necessity 
of the merest conventional              
artificiality1 and raising up a         
generation of listless imbeciles1 who   
measure their social salvation by the   
magnitude of their exactions and the    
littleness of their achievements8 in    
short1 setting up a code of dignity1 in 
which utter uselessness not seldom bears
 the highest honor4 ,it would be1       
probably1 a somewhat peculiar           
revelation1 if the young women who go   
from boarding-schools into our gay      
society were to submit to a thorough    
catechizing as to what they expect to   
receive in the world1 and what they     
expect to do in return4 ,the statistics 
thus gathered might shed some light upon

 our social and political economy1 and  
disclose a standard of empty            
extravagance1 not very common among the 
titled nobility of the ,old ,world4     
,away with the error upon which the     
whole mischief rests1--the error that   
our daughters are not rational          
creatures1 and that the very strength of
 their character is not the best reason 
and rule of their accomplishment4 ,let  
them be polished stones1 not tinsel1    
with a refinement and solidity worthy   
their endowments4  ,associating thus the
 attribute of polish with that of       
solidity1 in our idea of the education  
of daughters1 we complete the definition
 by maintaining1 that the two qualities 
should be so combined as best to fit the
 daughter for her providential position 
as the equal of man2 not his rival1 nor 
his slave1 nor his toy4 ,we claim for   
the daughter entire mental1 moral1 and  
religious equality with the son1 yet    
find in the law alike of nature and     
revelation a distinction between their  

gifts and spheres4 ,it would be merely  
beating the air to argue either         
point1--to try to prove that woman has  
all the faculties of human nature1 and  
if1 in her case1 they are otherwise     
adjusted than with man1 the difference  
is such as to forbid boasting on either 
side1 and to favor mutual help instead  
of selfish rivalry4 ,nor need we couch  
our lance against the reform school that
 claims for woman a masculine position1 
and asks to have all offices open to her
 ambition or zeal4 ,we are little in    
danger of such extravagances1 and our   
daughters are more likely to slight the 
high moral influence now within their   
sphere1 than to hanker after the        
notoriety of professional life or       
anniversary platforms4 ,our current     
modes of society are so lenient towards 
those who unsex themselves on the stage1
 or in the ball-room1 that the moralist 
need trouble himself very little with   
the loquacious sisterhood1 that seems   
determined to have the public ear upon  

most exciting questions4 ,the most      
discouraging thing in their prospect is 
in the indifference of their own sex to 
their appeals4 ,men prefer to hear women
 talk in a less obtrusive manner2 and   
women seem likely to follow their       
time-hallowed precedent1 and to have men
 for their orators1 leaders1 physicians1
 and preachers4 ,the freest system will 
not alter the divine order1 and whatever
 worthy reforms may come1 the end will  
be the reconsecration of woman in her   
true sphere--as the equal1 not the      
rival1 of man4 ,hers will still be full 
half the world1 and the best half of it 
too4 ,to be the polished corner-stone in
 the palace which the ruling heart makes
 royal1 is honor and responsibility     
enough4 ,to carry out this idea of the  
education of daughters by a just method1
 is a work second to none other to be   
done or meditated in this world4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,what have we to say of such a method8  
,nothing but simply to appeal to ,god's 

own will as shown in the daughter's     
faculties and in the spheres in which   
she is called to move4 ,let the method  
be such as best developes her powers and
 fits her for her position4  ,how great 
a thing it is to understand a soul1 said
 ,theresa of ,spain1 in view of the     
young hearts committed to her care after
 all her own trials of faith4 ,how great
 a thing it is to understand a          
daughter's mind in which sensibility1   
that demands sympathy1 has so much      
larger a place than logic1 that needs   
only to be reasoned out4 ,we believe    
that there is sex in mind1 and that the 
essential type of womanhood appears     
equally in the example of the highest   
culture and genius1 as in the average   
standard4 ,every page shows the woman's 
guiding pen1 no matter whether a ,de    
,stael or a ,godwin ranges into the     
bolder realms of thought1 or an         
,edgeworth or ,hemans walks among the   
daily affections and cares of life4 ,a  
true culture must be based upon this    

fact1 and the mind must be trained in   
accordance4 ,little may be gained by    
persisting in making a dry logician of a
 school girl1 for abstract reasoning is 
rarely a woman's forte1 but precisely on
 that account1 the reason must be       
appealed to by the living truth1 which  
will find a ready response from         
perceptions so quick and intuitive as   
often to see at a glance what the       
logical understanding will with         
difficulty argue out4  ,it is a great   
mistake to try to train a girl to be a  
man in cast of mind or way of life4 ,we 
can never slight the hint of nature     
without bringing down her retribution1  
and temporary success but delays the    
evil day4 ,what better instance of this 
error have we than in the memoirs of    
that gifted woman so well known to most 
of our readers1 and probably a personal 
friend to not a few of them1 ,margaret  
,fuller ,ossoli8 ,her mental career is  
now made public property by able and    
congenial biographers2 and who of us    

does not see the unconscious cruelty of 
the stern discipline which sought to    
mould her mind after the masculine      
standard1 and which so repressed the    
springs of feminine power1 until        
,providence took the noble woman into   
its own school1 and the wife and mother 
learned a wisdom and a peace that       
classic letters and metaphysical        
theories never taught her2 nay1 far     
beyond the stature of the ,muse1 and the
 ,minerva1 that were once her chosen    
types of female dignity8 ,honor to her  
name1 alike for the mistakes and the    
excellencies illustrated by her eventful
 life8  ,truly trained1 the girl will   
have as much reason as the boy2 and hers
 will be more intuitive1 whilst his may 
be more formal and severe in its        
reasoning4 ,strength of character will  
be hers1 not1 perhaps1 so much the stern
 sense of justice that most marks the   
masculine conscience1 as the full and   
earnest affection that adds mercy to    
justice and love to duty4 ,force of will

 shall be hers1 not perhaps the iron    
will of man1 but what is quite as well1 
and in its place better1 the heroic     
patience that conquers evil by enduring 
it4 ,the result shall be a disciplined1 
sagacious intellect without masculine   
hardness1 delicate sensibility without  
imbecile listlessness1 active energy    
without moping drudgery1 a combination  
of powers and graces that wins homage   
from every heart4  ,i would not adopt   
any definition of woman's powers less   
generous than the hint of nature and the
 will of ,god4 ,rather allow the largest
 scope to the development of every gift1
 and trust the feminine instinct to     
vindicate its own prerogative1 whatever 
be the talent called into requisition4  
,marked cases show that the feminine    
mind may sometimes have the faculty for 
the severest mathematical reasoning1 and
 ,england and ,america have been taught 
this fact by the philosophical          
achievements of women who are an honor  
alike to the delicacy and the intellect 

of their sex4 ,full well do ,i remember 
a visit to ,william ,mitchell the       
,nantucket astronomer1 years ago1 when  
,i saw that the father and the daughter 
had each a station and a set of         
instruments for taking simultaneous     
observations of the heavens4 ,since that
 day a gold medal from the king of      
,denmark has marked the daughter's      
triumph as the discoverer of a new      
comet4 ,i am not ashamed to say1 that at
 the time of the visit ,i had been      
several days puzzling over a difficult  
sum in algebra1 and that1 with a few    
touches of her pencil1 the young lady   
made clear as day what ,i had but       
suspected1 that the difficulty was in an
 error of the text-book4 ,she evidently 
understood ,arbogast's polynomial       
theorem better than ,i did4  ,but the   
great difficulty in this whole matter is
 not so much in a proper definition of  
characteristics to be cherished1 as in  
the application of proper motives to    
bring out those characteristics4 ,with  

boys the motive is near at hand1 for the
 world speaks to them with its imperious
 voice and bids them prepare for some   
specific post of profit or ambition4    
,without such practical spur1 our sons  
would be a languid generation1 since    
self-culture merely for its own sake1 as
 an amateur pursuit without any specific
 object1 is a dull affair1 that very    
feebly goes4 ,even those young men who  
have had a thorough collegiate education
 are very apt to forget their learning1 
and to lose their literary gift unless  
they carry out the work of education in 
actual affairs and keep their           
attainments by using them4 ,what shall  
take the place of such motive in the    
education of our daughters8 ,what aim   
shall we place before them in their     
early studies and keep before them in   
after years8 ,serious indeed is the     
question1 and too frivolously answered  
by the hosts of bright girls who go from
 school into a career of folly and      
dissipation4  ,there can be but one     

answer1 and that the most ,christian    
word4 ,it is simply this3--,daughter1   
you are under ,god's rule1 and all your 
gifts and acquisitions are sacred       
trusts4 ,consecrate them by a true      
service4 ,look upon your life as folly  
and nothingness1 until you regard it as 
a solemn charge and resolve to use its  
opportunities faithfully4 ,choose in the
 first bloom of your hope the true1 the 
,christian standard of character1 and   
give religion the grace and power of    
your youthful enthusiasm4 ,you have from
 ,heaven itself a sacred commission1    
large as the sphere of your sex1        
specific as the compass and aim of your 
own individual talents and position4    
,take this ground1 and it will appear   
that the daughter will find in her own  
religious susceptibility1 and in the    
,divine grace1 a motive to self-culture 
as efficient as the son finds in the    
spur of business and competition4 ,both 
indeed need the same religious          
discipline1 but the one needs it more as

 an impelling1 the other more as a      
restraining motive4  ,let the motive    
spirit be just and fervent1 it remains a
 question with daughters what shall be  
the chosen purpose of their after lives4
 ,circumstances must in some measure    
influence their choice1 for with a large
 portion1 not merely taste1 but the     
necessity of securing a livelihood1 is  
to be consulted4 ,but in either case the
 law of fitness is to be the guide2 and 
all1 without exception1 make a sad      
mistake1 who do not train themselves to 
some pursuit capable alike of adorning  
their affluence and of guarding them    
against need4 ,it is very clear that    
there is some fatal error in the        
physical education of girls that needs  
correcting before they can be sure of   
any independence of position4 ,very few 
girls that ,i know are well1 said a lady
 some time ago in speaking of the large 
circle of scholars under her            
observation4 ,as ,american boys are not 
wanting in robust health1 there must be 

some radical error in the training of   
the other sex1 that they are so fragile1
 and that they fade and languish so     
prematurely4 ,it is obvious that the    
power of the free air1 generous         
exercise1 and wholesome hours and diet1 
is too little understood1 whilst the    
confectioner's trash often takes the    
place of substantial food1 and the      
delicate nerves that the fresh breezes  
of heaven1 the cold water of the spring1
 are so ready to soothe and brace with  
genial health1 are sometimes insanely   
dosed with brandy or opium at caprice to
 an extent that might be too much for   
the constitution of a ,goliath of ,gath4
 ,there is no reason to believe that our
 daughters are doomed by nature to be   
less healthy than our sons1 or less     
fitted for a field of usefulness        
congenial with their gifts4 ,small      
indeed in comparison with the field     
opened to sons1 is the sphere at present
 for the talents of daughters4 ,but     
small as it may seem1 it has not yet    

been fully occupied1 and it will be sure
 to enlarge when its capacities are     
faithfully tested4 ,certainly the       
saddest limitation of feminine          
competence comes from overdoing some few
 branches of labor1 and there are great 
departments of the useful and the       
beautiful arts little resorted to by    
their skill4 ,for ourselves1 we have no 
fear of harming the delicacy of our     
daughters by opening to them any        
honorable field of culture or industry  
to which their tastes and talents call  
them4 ,it is a sacred duty to employ    
well every faculty given by the         
,creator1 and full and fair opportunity 
to develop all their gifts should be    
afforded4 ,if young women wish to be    
lawyers1 preachers1 physicians1 or      
merchants1 we would put no harsher      
obstacle before them than our honest    
opinion that such is not their          
providential career1 whilst we would do 
every thing in our power to throw open  
to their pursuit those spheres of action

 most congenial with their nature4 ,in  
the industrial arts who shall number the
 departments in which the quick         
perception and ready fingers and        
instinctive neatness of girls would fit 
them for success more than the other    
sex8 ,who shall limit the range of      
beautiful arts open to their taste and  
genius8 ,what may they not do with the  
pen1 voice1 pencil and chisel8 ,who     
shall begin to unfold the future of     
woman as the ,providential teacher of   
mankind8 ,who shall adequately measure  
her present power over the young8 ,honor
 to the teacher1 whether with or without
 a mother's motive6 ,honor to the host  
of teachers who are now bearing to every
 border of our own land1 the seeds of   
sound learning and social refinement4   
,the school-mistress--not the crone whom
 ,shenstone once painted--but the       
earnest1 hopeful1 high-minded daughter  
of a worthy home1 is one of the ruling  
powers of our land1 and at her approach 
barbarism yields and civilization       

reigns4 ,i know well what ,i am talking 
about1 and from years of pastoral       
experience ,i have learned to bless her 
work and worth4  ,but without dwelling  
more on this topic of employment1 or    
expatiating upon the gifts of daughters 
for teaching in its various branches1   
and the demand for a higher order of    
teachers than are now easily found1 may 
we not say that society among us is     
sadly crude and imperfect1 from the     
inadequate culture of those especially  
called to be its light and joy8 ,what   
art among those called beautiful or     
useful1 can rank above the art of       
guiding the economy of the home1 ruling 
its prosaic abilities so aptly1 that    
they too shall wear an ideal expression1
 and the peace of ,god shall go with the
 goods his bounty hath provided8 ,who   
shall exaggerate the worth of the       
conversational power so congenial with  
the natural eloquence of women1 and so  
apt for want of culture or high purpose 
to degenerate into the poorest gossip8  

,who shall over-estimate the power of   
her who1 from a full and ready mind     
bears to every circle the charm of an   
apt1 sparkling1 and kindly utterance1   
making beauty a spiritual benediction   
where it exists1 and where beauty is    
denied1 making up for its absence by a  
grace that no loveliness of feature can 
rival8 ,blessed indeed this ministry1   
when deep and holy faith completes the  
consecration1 and our daughters employ  
for the solace of the afflicted1 or the 
light of the benighted1 the gifts and   
attainments which make their name so    
blessed among friends and in homes4     
,polished corner-stones of the temple1  
they are then builded upon ,him who is  
the chief corner-stone1 and parents with
 all their solicitude for beings so     
tenderly framed1 and so exposed to the  
vicissitudes of the world1 may leave    
them in perfect faith in guardianship of
 a heavenly goodness that cannot fail   
them4 ,great wrong we do them1 unless1  
by the most decided precept and example1

 we lead them to the ,heavenly ,father1 
through the ,gospel and the ,church of  
,him1 who is the ,way and the ,life4    
,what miserable folly it is that looks  
upon feminine piety as a weakness1      
coming from an understanding too feeble 
to doubt1 or a will too infirm to be    
self-relying6 ,the daughter's strength  
and wisdom are in her faith and love4   
,the mind is most illuminated when most 
opened to the light that ,god sheds upon
 the confiding1 and there is many a     
house in which the wife and daughter's  
piety rises into a wisdom far beyond the
 husband and brother's hard worldly     
understanding4 ,bless ,god for the      
mission of ,him whose deepest truth and 
inmost life were revealed to the sisters
 of ,bethany1 when hid from the ,scribes
 and the ,pharisees1 and who found in   
their spiritual sympathy a solace which 
did not desert him1 when his foremost   
disciple denied his name4 ,it is the    
recipient soil1 tender and watered by   
gentle dews1 that nurtures the acorn    

into the oak by an alchemy that the     
flinty rock knows nothing of4 ,thus has 
it been with the mighty seed of the     
,word4 ,what would have become of it1   
had there been no feminine faith and    
love to receive and nurture it into the 
tree of life8 ,may that grace which has 
so worked upon the heart of woman1 and  
raised her from bondage1 and given her a
 new throne on earth1 work among us1 and
 redeem our daughters from the snares of
 the world4  ,week of ,religious        
,anniversaries4     ,business and the   
,heart4     ,,business ,,and ,,the      
,,heart4   ,paul1 the spiritualist and  
devotee1 was eminently a practical man1 
and by what he did and what he said1    
gave it to be understood1 that life has 
a serious business to be done1 as well  
as a firm faith and hearty affections to
 be cherished4 ,he himself was an       
efficient business man1 and in his      
letters1 preaching1 and whole           
administration1 he showed singular      
ability in dealing with men1 and        

carrying his point in spite of their    
prejudices1 or his own disadvantages4   
,even money matters1 he did not neglect2
 but whilst rigidly simple and          
independent in his own habits1 he had a 
wary eye upon the needs of the rising   
churches1 insisted upon due charities   
and careful expenditure--nay1 he        
expressly declared that the faculty for 
business was to be welcomed among the   
,christian gifts1 and to be used for the
 common good1 as decidedly as the       
faculty for teaching and exhorting4 ,he 
bids men unite diligence in business    
with fervor of spirit1 and a true       
service of ,god4  ,not slothful in      
business1 he said at a time1 when in the
 first love of their new faith1 many    
were in danger of slighting practical   
affairs for the raptures of devotion1 or
 in impatience for the second coming of 
,christ1 and the age of ,millennial     
rest4 ,not slothful in business1 may we 
not say now1 great as is the temptation 
with many to think1 that we do not need 

any such advice in an age and country   
where business seems to ride over every 
thing else1 and trample down all fervor 
of spirit and service of ,god4 ,reflect 
a little upon the clause in its         
connection1 and we shall see how        
admirably all the words go together1 and
 fill out the sense4 ,interpreting them 
so1 we will speak of the business man in
 and out of his business character1 and 
especially in his character at home1 or 
as a man of affections--at home1 that   
place where he must show pretty         
thoroughly what he is at heart1 to      
family and friends4 ,to see what he is  
elsewhere1 we will look at him first at 
his work1 for his course there will     
decide in a great measure his spirit    
elsewhere4 ,look into his store1 or     
study1 workshop1 or office1 and what is 
he doing8 ,whatever it may be1 it is the
 serious work of his life1 and is taking
 most of his time and thought4 ,he says 
to himself1 however much or little he   
likes his occupation1 ,this is my       

business1 and thus ,i use my faculties1 
and earn my livelihood1 and maintain my 
family1 and win whatever means or       
influence ,i can for objects that ,i    
approve4 ,he is willing very honestly to
 accept the motto1 not slothful in      
business for himself and all in his     
employment4 ,does he know how much      
meaning lies within those words8        
,sometimes when he thinks himself a     
prodigy of care and industry1 and in the
 fever of hurry and anxiety1 he is      
almost ready to give up every holy      
thought and ,christian feeling for the  
absorbing chase1 is not his very turmoil
 the fruit of slothfulness8 ,if he had  
been better disciplined1 more           
thoughtful1 more methodical1 would he   
not have been spared all this fever of  
mind1 and excepting1 perhaps1 certain   
peculiar emergencies1 would not the care
 as well as the evil of each day have   
been sufficient for itself1 and send him
 to his home with heart open to friendly
 affections1 and ready to thank ,heaven 

for sweetening the repose of his pillow 
by the work he has done8 ,surely there  
is no way to make business so           
troublesome as by neglecting it4 ,the   
only way of being rid of it1 is to do it
 well1 and the most thorough and careful
 system is more favorable to peace and  
spirituality of mind than slipshod      
negligence4 ,if a man does not attend to
 his business it will attend to him1 and
 dog him night and day1 like a baying   
hound in chase of a stricken deer4 ,if a
 man goes beyond negligence and is      
dishonest1 so much the worse1 for the   
best experience says1 that dishonesty is
 a mistake1 as well as a vice--the poor 
resort of bunglers in trade1 as well as 
pigmies in morals4 ,nothing frets1 and  
in the end confounds a man more than to 
patch together a tissue of lies1 and    
this trouble a thorough business        
training must shun4  ,the very habit of 
earnest attention is wholesome1 and need
 not end where it begins4 ,sluggishness 
of mind and heart is a sad foe to all   

true life1 and he who studies           
generously1 and does earnestly the work 
of any worthy calling1 so far educates  
himself1 and is open to all better      
influences by the discipline4 ,who of   
us1 whatever our vocation1 is not       
willing to take very modest views of    
himself in this respect8 ,whether in one
 of the learned professions1 or in      
mercantile pursuits1 have we been awake 
to the highest aspects of our position1 
and used its opportunities so well1 that
 we may sincerely call it a liberal     
vocation8 ,how many professional men    
there are1 who are mere drudges among   
drugs1 parchments1 and ceremonials8 how 
many merchants1 may ,i not say1 are     
there1 who are profoundly ignorant of   
the history and relations of their own  
craft1 ignorant of that wonderful       
science of trade which is changing the  
face of the world1 and placing itself   
among the momentous facts of            
,providence4 ,consider the opportunities
 of a merchant to observe character1 to 

study times1 and nations2 to procure the
 arts1 books1 and society best for the  
mind2 to trace even the changes in the  
market to causes that connect themselves
 with the world's want or welfare1--then
 say1 who is not slothful in business8  
,think too1 of the best practical       
examplars of mercantile culture1--how   
much of those two ruling forms of       
practical ability1 the soldier's and the
 statesman's1 have combined in the      
merchant's enterprise and comprehension1
 and an emphasis beyond that of the     
market-place will attach to the         
words--,not slothful in business4 ,nay1 
how can a man be thoroughly faithful to 
his daily calling1 and use the judgment1
 energy1 and punctuality essential to   
the best efficiency1 without a training 
that looks beyond the shop or office1   
and introduces him into all the generous
 relations of life8 ,in fact1 what is   
business well understood1 but the       
practical side of life in all its moral 
and spiritual aspects1 as well as its   

bodily wants8         99       99       
99       99       99  ,certainly in its 
own way1 the world is ready to require a
 certain kind of heartiness in practical
 affairs1 and to regard a certain fervor
 of feeling as a pleasant trait in      
diligence4 ,in its own way it will      
repeat the second clause of the apostle1
 and add fervent in spirit to not       
slothful in business4 ,the spirit of    
trade itself is among us very earnest1  
and those men are liked best by their   
associates1 who grace practical energy  
by a good share of hearty fellowship and
 generous enthusiasm4 ,this is well1 but
 it is not all of the interpretation of 
the words4 ,fervor thus interpreted     
sometimes would be more fitly called    
fever1 for it is more the hot haste of  
the blood than the genial life of the   
affections1 more the gambler's madness  
than the disciple's zeal4 ,fervor in    
spirit means far less and far more than 
this--far less in extravagance and far  
more in power4 ,it means that the cares 

of business should neither chill the    
heart with avarice1 nor inflame it with 
passion2 and that a man should be more  
spiritual as he becomes more practical4 
,does any one wonder at this statement8 
,some persons indeed speak1 as if the   
spiritual and the practical were        
antagonist terms4 ,but they are quite   
the reverse1 and eminently in alliance4 
,consider them on their human and their 
divine side4 ,what is more practical    
than spirit8 what more essential to     
efficient action8 ,certainly he who acts
 out the most and the best spirit is the
 most practical man4 ,he who is most    
experienced in training himself or      
others to practical affairs1 knows very 
well that success comes according as    
spirit animates the daily routine1 and  
each day's details grow out of a root of
 hearty interest4 ,we really believe    
that the greatest business men have been
 full of spirit1 and that the greatest  
spiritualists have been eminently       
practical1--the mere drudge being a     

faulty business man1 and the mere       
dreamer a very poor spiritualist4  ,but 
illustrate the principle on the divine  
side1 by considering the method of ,god4
 ,does ,he not work by ,his ,spirit8 ,he
 has breathed it1 in some measure1 into 
all creatures1 chiefly into man2 and is 
it not the necessity of its nature to   
work8 ,there is something of it in every
 living thing1 and this something is its
 true life4 ,from our abounding harvests
 select a grain of wheat or corn4       
,within that little seed lodges a power 
which no man fully comprehends1 but     
which is essential to the world's life4 
,ask it to explain itself1 and it says  
not a word2 grind it to powder1 and the 
dust is but dust4 ,keep it whole1 and in
 the spring-time within the ground1 its 
spirit will come out first in the green 
blade1 and last in the golden ears4     
,this is always the method of ,god1 to  
work from within outward2 from the      
spirit to the work4 ,what is the course 
of nature but the going forth of life   

from the spirit to the work1 and from   
the work back again to the spirit1 all  
genuine growth multiplying the vitality 
from which it sprung8 ,it is what the   
philosopher calls the law of ultimates1 
or the process from firsts to lasts and 
from lasts to firsts4 ,the ,gospel is   
its best illustration2 for it put a new 
spirit into men1 and worked itself out  
in new works1 all its works diffusing   
and quickening the spirit from which    
they sprung4 ,it took hold of the world 
practically1 and made it a business to  
do away with old evils1 and build up a  
kingdom more enlarged1 and kindly1 and  
pure1--more spiritual than the earth had
 seen before4  ,but how apply these     
thoughts to business now1--how insist   
upon fervor of spirit in pursuits whose 
aim is money-making2 and1 on our own    
principles1 is not the spirit of trade  
itself the thing needed8 ,we reply that 
money-making of itself is not the proper
 or the general end of trade1 but only a
 means to a higher end4 ,trade is one of

 the essential forms of industry1 and a 
true man will pursue it that he may do  
his part well in the world1 and care    
well for all who depend upon or who     
justly claim his care4 ,money is one    
step in the process1 not the end1 and   
that man is a poor creature1 below even 
the common worldly standard1 whose      
success1 instead of fixing his thoughts 
on his hoards1 does not fill his mind   
and heart with new hopes for his family 
and friends1 and people his unromantic  
counting-house with hovering images of  
his children and home1 visions of ampler
 culture and nobler charities4 ,leaving 
out of the account some miserable       
creatures1 who heap up gold for         
themselves1 and crush their heart under 
the heap1 we must allow that there is   
much heart in trade1 and the better     
class of business men have kindly and   
elevated aims in view4 ,how much the    
arts and sciences1 letters1             
philanthropy1 and religion1 owe to the  
merchant1 the whole career of commerce  

shows4 ,think of what trade has done for
 the higher aims of society2 study the  
fruits of commerce in modern times2 read
 of the ,medici1 the ,roscoes1 the      
,gurneys1 and the noble men in our land 
who have endowed our best institutions1 
and say what you please of the miser1   
but say not a word against the true     
merchant4 ,justice may be his ruling    
virtue1 but mercy is not wholly absent1 
since forgiveness is often called for1  
and no liberal merchant can be found who
 cannot repeat honestly the prayer1     
,forgive us our debts1 as we forgive our
 debtors4 ,there is much heart in trade1
 yet not enough by any means1 and a cold
 worldliness sometimes gains ground with
 those worthy of better things1 and1 in 
fact1 desirous of better things4 ,men   
worthy of better things become more     
superficial and ostentatious with time  
and increased means1 and1 instead of    
acting independently and sensibly1 join 
in vain rivalry of a set of people1     
whose emptiness is proved every time    

their mouths are opened4 ,when shall the
 due check be found1 and the true heart 
abound1 and the spirit be fervent       
indeed8         99       99       99    
99       99  ,we rest our answer upon   
the last clause of the apostle3 ,serving
 the ,lord4 ,it places before us        
distinctly the true end of life1--the   
service of ,god1 and insists upon our   
regarding this in the choice and conduct
 of our business1 so that it shall be a 
part of our religion4 ,does this seem   
chimerical8 ,not so2 for it is surely   
the only view of religion that business 
men will consent to call practical4     
,they think little of mere professions1 
and judge of men by their doings4 ,they 
make merry at the thought of trusting a 
man's word1 because he belongs to some  
specified church2 and they can quote too
 many cases of solemn persons who try to
 trade upon their alleged piety1 who    
seem to think long prayers an offset to 
a little double dealing1 and who1 in    
more ways than one1 shorten the         

commandments to piece out the catechism4
 ,such judgment is well1 only let it be 
consistent1 and teach the judging party 
to look well to its ways1 and lay hold  
of the substance in disgust at the mere 
shadow4  ,here is the liberal and strict
 doctrine3 that all of life is under    
,god's government1 and should be        
conformed to the order of ,his law and  
,providence4 ,our business is part of   
our life1 and should bear upon its      
highest spiritual interest4 ,any        
principle short of this is utter        
worldliness1 and any principle that goes
 further than this1 and shuts religion  
up in creeds and forms1 is bigotry and  
superstition4 ,the principle comes to   
nothing1 unless it shapes our plans1 and
 we start and go on with the resolution 
not to sacrifice true life in pursuit of
 the means of living4 ,it comes to      
nothing1 unless we follow a plan which  
makes a business of religion1 instead of
 a religion of business1 and insists    
upon a daily method which will give the 

mind and heart its due1 careful quite as
 much of the claims of home affections1 
refined tastes1 and elevating thoughts1 
as of the price-current and the         
market-place4 ,business is full of      
stubborn facts1 and the true service of 
,god or religion must be made as        
stubborn a fact as any of them1 and keep
 its ground for all honesty1 and purity1
 and kindness1 and fidelity4 ,it may be 
done1 and the very method and energy    
trained in practical affairs may        
complete the plan of true living1 and   
make and keep a place in the heart for  
home and friends1 for humanity and ,god4
  ,is there not imperious call for such 
service1--for a decided stand in behalf 
of the moral and spiritual interests of 
our being8 ,if men are ever so          
successful1 how poor their success is   
apart from generous and ,christian      
aims1--how poor is wealth1 if it is only
 the means of a demoralizing            
extravagance1 and he who began life as  
an industrious worker sinks into a      

swollen ,sybarite1 pampering his        
daughters into simpering1 vaporing      
fashionists1 and his sons into dainty1  
inefficient1 good-for-nothing           
spendthrifts4 ,how noble1 on the other  
hand1 is success1 when it helps out     
worthy aims2 and the friend of arts and 
letters1 charity and piety1 it gives    
peace to the soul in rendering service  
to ,god4 ,if success do not come1 and   
reverses follow1 how essential is the   
stronghold of faith and peace1 which    
will not fail to keep a man safe from   
the worst evil if he has faithfully kept
 himself within its covert4 ,for the    
demands of either fortune1 as well as   
for the good1 not temporal but eternal1 
men are called to add to their diligence
 in business fervor of spirit in the    
service of ,god4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,street-preaching 
is1 we are told1 to be the order of the 
day1 and the poor and neglected are to  
hear the ,word from lips before strange 
to them4 ,not only in the haunts of the 

miserable1 and the streets narrow and   
wretched1 is such ministry needed4 ,many
 a street1 stately with warehouses and  
banks1 needs more than any thing a voice
 that can reach the heart1 and enlist   
the chiefs of business in a service     
better than luxury and worldliness4 ,no 
revival is more demanded than the       
conversion of the votaries of wealth1   
not to some new creed or mannerism1 but 
to a true and godly way of life4 ,in    
some way this must be done1 and ,god    
must have the sagacity and force for his
 own cause which are so often in bondage
 to the world4 ,his spirit must breathe 
new life along the great arteries of    
trade1 and make men better without      
making them less strong1 multiplying the
 examples of characters like ,gurney the
 banker1 devout and charitable without  
ceasing to be shrewd1 or1 like ,peel the
 statesman1 using the comprehensive     
judgment1 learned in practical business1
 for the welfare of his country and the 
glory of ,god4 ,we need and must have a 

new order of men1 and of their coming   
many bright signs appear1--men at once  
practical and spiritual1 knowing well   
the world and its ways2 not to be its   
servants1 but to subdue its fierce      
forces into obedience to the kingdom not
 of this world4 ,there are dreamers     
enough1 and drudges enough4 ,the want is
 of men with eyes wide open1 and hearts 
quick and true4 ,in no age more than    
ours has the deep need and earnest hope 
of society better interpreted the       
apostle's definition of a truly         
practical man1 ,not slothful in         
business1 fervent in spirit1 serving the
 ,lord4  ,god himself seems to stoop    
from heaven and show the worth of this  
character1 in showing in himself the    
grand archetype of the practical mind4  
,nearer he comes1 and reveals in all    
powers and laws1 in the light1 and air1 
and rain1 in tree and rock1 in earth and
 man1 the working of his mind4 ,he tells
 us anew1 that he made the world1 and   
that we find out the wisdom of his work1

 as we learn to do our work wisely4     
,with him the useful goes with the      
lovely and the spiritual4 ,every        
dew-drop or sunbeam does a mighty       
business for him1 and shows his         
loveliness and illustrates his service  
as it cheers the landscapes and helps   
the harvest4 ,with reverence be it      
spoken1 yet with all confidence3 the    
,god in whose image we are made is the  
eternal exemplar of the practical mind4 
,in ,christ we are followers of him when
 we do all our work earnestly1          
spiritually1 faithfully1 under his      
government2 and open within our business
 a door into all the home affections and
 friendly graces of the earth1--all the 
sweet charities and blessed hopes of    
heaven4  ,let not the thought lose      
itself in generalities4 ,our business   
men are strong and earnest in many      
things1 and are probably as enterprising
 and efficient as any set of men in the 
world4 ,merchants1 do you hold precious 
your written obligations8 ,what of the  

unwritten8 ,what would your credit be if
 you slighted your business promises as 
you often slight your ,christian        
obligations1 and treated the world as   
you treat the moral and spiritual       
interests of your home and church8      
,think seriously and do better4 ,in     
spirit and in truth as well as in       
energy1 be followers of ,god as dear    
children4  ,your pursuits train you to  
calculation2 despise not the word1 but  
keep it1 and weigh it well4 ,it is a    
noble word1 and the calculus is one line
 of the ,divine reason4 ,god            
calculates1--he geometrizes--he seeks   
due proportion1 and number1 and         
weight1--he counts time1 and the round  
of the seasons2 and the paths of the    
planets point the days1 even the        
seconds1 on the dial-plate of the       
heavens1 and prove the punctuality of   
,god4 ,calculate well and as he does4   
,the good ,samaritan calculated when he 
took care of the wounded man1 and the   
priest calculated as he left him by the 

road-side4 ,howard calculated when he   
gathered the statistics of philanthropy1
 and ,arnold calculated when he sold his
 country for gold and ambition4 ,judas  
calculated when he betrayed his ,master 
for the pieces of silver1 and ,jesus    
calculated when he asked1 ,what does it 
profit a man if he gain the whole world 
and lose his own soul8 or what shall a  
man give in exchange for his soul8      
,among the great facts of our welfare1  
place the mind and heart1 home          
affections1 heavenward thoughts1 and our
 business will have new blessings from  
,him whom we serve4     ,summer in the  
,country4     ,,summer ,,in ,,the       
,,country4   ,that was a beautiful and  
expressive ordinance of the ,old        
,dispensation which enjoined a rural    
festival upon the conscience of the     
faithful4 ,every year the whole nation  
were ordered to pass a week in rural    
bowers woven of the boughs of goodly    
trees1 in remembrance of the time when  
their fathers dwelt in the wilderness1  

and ,god led them to the ,land of       
,promise4 ,by the ,israelites1 the      
ancient festival is still remembered1   
and one of the most gifted of their     
modern writers thus describes its       
observance in ,southern ,europe4  ,large
 branches of the palm and cedar1 the    
willow1 acacia and the oak1 cut so as to
 prevent their withering for the seven  
days1 formed the walls of the tent2     
their leaves intermingling overhead so  
as to form a shelter1 and yet permit the
 beautiful blue of the heavens to peep  
within4 ,flowers of every shade and     
scent formed a bordering within1 and    
bouquets1 richly and tastefully         
arranged1 placed in vases1 filled with  
scented earth1 hung from the branches   
forming the roof4 ,fruit1 too1 was      
there1--the purple grape1 the ripe1 red 
orange1 the paler lemon1 the lime1 the  
pomegranate1 the citron4  ,this festival
 in its ancient form1 ,christians do not
 observe1 although we may see some of   
its traces in the camp-meetings of      

,methodism and in the evergreen boughs  
of ,catholicism4 ,yet its essential idea
 should1 and does remain4 ,each year we 
are sadly dull and worldly1 if the      
luxuriance of summer does not lift our  
thoughts to ,him who sustained our      
fathers in their hard conflict with rude
 nature1 and enabled them to change the 
savage wilderness into fertile fields1  
and peaceful groves4 ,grovelling indeed 
we are1 if1 upon our return from the    
pleasant retreats where we have sought  
rest and recreation1 we cannot bring    
back some grateful remembrances of what 
we have seen and enjoyed in rural       
places4  ,the old festival1 kept as it  
was by the whole nation at ,jerusalem1  
in green tents1 was a kind of annual    
consecration of the relation between the
 city and the country4 ,thus the feast  
had at once a special and an universal  
meaning4 ,the bigot may have thought    
only of the years of wandering1 when1 in
 nomad tents1 the chosen race escaped   
from their oppressors4 ,but more        

enlarged and sensitive minds1 of the    
race of ,david and ,isaiah1 interpreted 
the season far more generously2 and we  
are assured by the presence of ,him who 
went from ,nazareth to take part in the 
scene1 that some eyes looked upon those 
rural tabernacles which stood among the 
streets of ,jerusalem1 as emblems of the
 permanent relations which man should   
sustain to nature1--of the constant     
ministry of the works of ,god to man4   
,our topic now is the relation between  
the town and the country1 especially the
 power of rural life upon them who dwell
 in cities4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,we consider first  
the various objects which present       
themselves for contemplation4 ,cowper's 
contrast may have been too strong1 when 
he said that ,god made the country1 and 
man made the town1 for1 in both places1 
we are surrounded by the works of ,god  
and man4 ,the farm1 as well as the busy 
street1 shows what human toil can do1   
and they that live in cities are in     

themselves1 and in the plenty that      
sustains them1 constant proofs of the   
bounty of ,god2 whilst upon all places  
the sunshine and the rain do fall with  
equal mercy4 ,yet1 in the country1 we   
see more of nature in its divine        
adaptations1 less perverted by the      
artifices of man4 ,the eye is not       
limited by streets and walls to some    
narrow spot1 nor is the landscape       
curtailed of its breadth and beauty to  
suit the grasping policy of traffic4    
,generally the hand of rural art and    
labor rather interprets than obscures   
the plan of nature4 ,the regions well   
cultivated are often the most           
picturesque1 and at once charm by their 
scenery1 and instruct by their varied   
uses and adaptations4 ,we see man in    
just relations towards the soil as its  
cultivator1 and towards the animal world
 as their master and friend4 ,he lives  
in close sympathy with the heavens1 the 
earth1 the animated tribes4 ,the sun in 
its rise1 and course1 and setting1      

counts to him the hours1 and divides his
 times of labor and repose4 ,he breathes
 the air as the ,creator mingled it1 and
 draws from the soil something of that  
quickening1 vital force1 which the great
 ,mother never refuses to her children1 
who seek her4 ,he enlarges the circle of
 his friendships more widely even than  
in metropolitan coteries1 and has       
friends among birds and fowls2 while1   
with the sheep1 and horse1 and ox1 as   
well as with kindly neighbors1 he can   
keep company4 ,he is daily called to see
 the harmonious plan of the universe1   
the co-operation between light1 and air1
 and rain1 and dew1 between all elements
 and all creatures in the universe of   
,god4 ,in fact1 apart from any          
philosophical curiosity1 the very       
necessity of his calling must make him  
not a little a sage in the observation  
of nature4 ,when science is added to    
observation1 the greater1 of course1 the
 privilege of his position1 the more    
readily does he unlock the treasures    

around him1 and his rural hours may be  
hours of favored vision1 nay1 of sacred 
communion4  ,but is not man the crown of
 nature8 and where is man to be found in
 such perfection1 as in the great       
centres where men congregate8 ,if we    
would be wise1 why not seek the great   
multitude and dwell most among the      
crowd8 ,i will not disparage city life  
as a school of instruction in the       
science of human nature4 ,he who knows  
nothing of the great market-places1 and 
social resorts of his race1 is ignorant 
certainly of our nature under very      
important aspects4 ,but to be constantly
 mingling with men1 is a very different 
thing from the true knowledge of man4   
,the judicious analysis of a few        
characters will teach more wisdom than a
 superficial observation of ten thousand
 passers by1 just as the dissection of a
 plant or an animal shows more of its   
structure than a glance at a whole      
kingdom or continent frequented by the  
same tribes4 ,human nature may be wisely

 studied wherever it is to be found1 and
 if extent1 as well as sharpness of     
observation is essential1 we must       
remember that all men do not live in    
cities2 that the country has its own    
forms of humanity2 and moreover1 that   
they who dwell among the great crowd1   
learn best in more quiet scenes to judge
 of the true meaning of the bustling    
life around them2 and they that are     
wisest in their views of the busy town1 
are they who have been able to survey   
its characters and circumstances        
frequently1 from the commanding         
elevation and distance of rural         
retirement4  ,men and their arts1       
indeed1 appear in utmost number and     
force in cities2 but without the        
constant reinforcements from the        
country1 the tribute of fresh energy and
 enterprise1 the products of mechanical 
ingenuity1 and of agricultural labor1   
the metropolis would soon languish1     
deprived at once of its daily bread1 and
 its best intellectual resources4 ,even 

the beautiful arts1 which adorn the     
homes and halls of cities1 appeal to an 
eye and taste that ought to be well     
schooled in the observation of nature1  
and the canvas can never reveal its best
 meaning to minds conversant only with  
crowded streets and busy marts4 ,if we  
must go to the city to see the gathered 
treasures of rural labor and skill1 we  
must go to the country to learn to      
comprehend the affluence of the city1 to
 understand the secret of its wealth1   
and to interpret the wonders of its     
useful and beautiful arts4  ,surely1    
then1 we cannot but recognize the worth 
of the country in respect to the objects
 which it presents4 ,its beauty1        
although in some measure expressive of  
the work of man's hand1 is most eloquent
 with the glory of ,god4 ,its plainest  
utilities bloom into loveliness1 and to 
a devout ear sing out in anthems4 ,its  
wealth speaks less of man's arrogance   
than of heaven's bounty4 ,we might      
institute in this respect a comparison  

between the pursuits of men in town and 
country4 ,they are in both situations   
toiling for gain1 and in both cases more
 or less in competition with men1 and in
 contact with natural laws4 ,but in the 
country1 men depend less upon shrewd    
bargaining1 and far more upon the direct
 return of their labor in the products  
of the soil4 ,they deal more directly   
with their ,creator1 and there is more  
constancy and security1 if not so much  
excitement of hope and fear in their    
gains4 ,refreshing and instructive it is
 for those whose business habits lead   
them to look upon the chances of traffic
 as the source of wealth1 to learn for  
themselves how much stronger security   
the ,creator has given for the          
sustenance of man2 and important as are 
finance and traffic1 the best treasures 
of man come from the soil in return for 
his skill and industry4 ,surely the     
pursuits most habitual in rural life    
teach many a sober lesson to men fevered
 with the competitions of traffic4 ,we  

might show also that the country may    
afford quite as valuable hints in the   
simplicity of its pleasures1 as in the  
sobriety of its industry4 ,they who are 
in the habit of regarding enjoyment as  
the result of some costly dissipation1  
need to learn of nature a stern1 yet    
blessed lesson1 and find that true      
happiness is not a far-fetched luxury1  
but is very near us1 when we live near  
to ,god1 and true to his laws4 ,wretched
 are they who make of their seasons of  
recreation but a new round of           
dissipation1 and repeat the orgies of   
the winter in the retreats of the       
summer6         99       99       99    
99       99  ,it is often asked whether 
life in the town or the country is1 on  
the whole1 most favorable to the        
formation of character1--the pursuit of 
true wisdom1 virtue1 happiness4 ,without
 being obliged to take either side of   
the question1 it is sufficient at       
present to urge the importance of       
guarding against the peculiar exposures 

of each condition2 and especially1 of   
urging people of the town to look well  
to the sins that beset them1 and seek in
 the broad fields truths that they need 
in their own homes4  ,they live in the  
midst of excitement and need sobriety4  
,if they have more intensity1 they have 
also more fever of mind1 and may take   
counsel wisely of those whose temper is 
more serene1 if1 perhaps1 sometimes more
 sluggish1 and whose habits are likely  
to be more equable1 if in danger of     
becoming sometimes monotonous4 ,we      
absolutely need the influence of rural  
life to soothe our spirits and calm our 
nerves4 ,the pulse itself abates its    
fevered beat1 and the heart is quieted  
down into harmony with the gentler pulse
 of nature4 ,if the town offers stimulus
 to the visitor from the country1 the   
country repays the gift by giving       
calmness1 and thus the power of new     
energy to the visitor from the city4  ,a
 serene frame of body and mind is       
certainly one requisite of wisdom1 and  

not the only requisite which rural life 
favors4 ,we need to look beyond the     
horizon of fashion and conventionality1 
which we are so apt to mistake for the  
entire world1 and correct our           
observations by careful notes of those  
forms of rural life1 which1 after all   
our city pride1 we must regard as most  
expressive of the common lot of man in  
all nations and ages4 ,the man who sums 
up all his views of rural manners in the
 contemptuous word countrified1 will do 
well to remember that there is not a    
little reason to form a more            
contemptuous word in reference to such  
persons as himself1 and call the fop1   
who mistakes his circle of loiterers for
 the human race1 and his haunts of folly
 for the world of wisdom1 as sillier    
than the simplest rustic1 farther from  
the true mark in being citified than the
 latter in being countrified4 ,they that
 dwell in crowds very easily become very
 knowing1 but not necessarily wise4     
,they that frequent the haunts of vice  

and frivolity learn many things that do 
but add to their folly4 ,they do not    
view life in its best aspects and true  
aims1 nor interpret it as its ,divine   
,author teaches4 ,even those whose minds
 are open to the true science of        
humanity1 need to flee from the crowd to
 ponder soberly upon its lessons4 ,in   
the busy world1 they are constantly     
finding seeds of thought1 but in a far  
less troubled soil these seeds must be  
nurtured and matured4 ,probably the     
wisest meditations upon man1 society1   
,providence1 have been engaged in by    
persons well taught indeed in the ways  
of the great world1 but ruminating in   
quiet upon its teachings1 and correcting
 the prejudices of the hour by the sober
 reasonings of calmer scenes and        
influences4 ,to such truthful judgment  
of distant things surveyed from its     
serener retreats1 rural life adds a     
wisdom peculiarly its own1--a wisdom    
such as ,solomon so sagaciously         
incorporated in his proverbs1 and ,jesus

 so divinely presented in his parables4 
,it would not be difficult to show the  
happy influence of familiarity with the 
country in teaching lessons of          
virtue--in bracing the frame for hardier
 labors--in urging the worth of the     
lesser ethics of frugality and economy1 
and the higher morals of true manliness 
and godliness4 ,virtue is moral         
strength1 and is taught in every school 
that strengthens the moral energies4    
,the genial air and simple habits of    
rural life favor manly fortitude1 and a 
manly spirit4 ,poor would be the future 
prospects of our nation if they rested  
wholly with the dwarfed and fevered     
offspring of our cities4 ,our people    
would ere long lose their place among   
the nations1 and would drop their heads 
in shame in comparison with men trained 
in hardy sports and healthful labors1 as
 the yeomanry and gentry of ,england4   
,religion itself1 which is the crown of 
true manliness1 would languish if there 
were no more check to vice and          

skepticism than the check1 strong indeed
 as it is1 which metropolitan churches  
afford4 ,how wonderfully the power of   
faith among the peasants of ,la ,vendee 
withstood the sneers and threats of     
,paris1 with its armed bands of         
,atheists in the great convulsion1 when 
priests became scoffers and churches    
were places of rioting6 ,how nobly our  
own churches have been favored by the   
words and thoughts of elect minds       
devoted to ,god and his truth1 in       
peaceful villages away from the crowded 
marts6 ,where would the pulpit find the 
teachers that are needed1 if its sole   
dependence were upon the youth reared in
 cities8 ,i could not but think much of 
the power of rural life in raising up   
vigorous and independent preachers1     
whilst ,i was enjoying a few weeks of   
recreation in the lovely town in which  
,president ,dwight prepared himself for 
his more conspicuous ministry at ,new   
,haven4 ,i have rambled with delight    
again and again over that noble         

,greenfield ,hill1 which he celebrated  
in a poem1 and have not wondered that   
the vast and charming prospect1 ranging 
as it does from the broad waters of     
,long ,island ,sound to the peak of the 
,catskill ,mountains1 should have made  
something of a poet of a theologian1    
sometimes so remorseless a logician4    
,may we not see1 however1 in his        
theological works1 and still more in the
 pages of his mighty predecessor in     
theology1 ,edwards1 of ,northampton1    
who1 too1 dwelt among scenes of singular
 beauty1 ample proofs that nature never 
deserts her votaries1 nor fails to      
breathe into them a spirit of beauty1   
that can live1 after the harsh dogmas   
have perished like the husks that       
inclose the grain for the harvest4  ,i  
would not disparage our town life1 nor  
call it by any means godless4 ,it is    
happy in being able to command so many  
resources1 happy in being able to ally  
to itself so many influences not its    
own4 ,where there are souls there ,god  

may be known1 and where learning and    
experience gather their treasure2 we may
 find light upon the ways of ,god and   
his ,providence4 ,but very poorly do we 
study this manifold creation1 and the   
word of its ,creator1 if we limit our   
horizon to the streets and walls1 and   
business and pleasure even of the       
greatest metropolis4 ,the ,bible        
itself--that book so full of the poetry 
of nature--from its first to its last   
chapter1 from the ,old ,eden to the ,new
 ,jerusalem exhaling the fragrance of   
fields and breathing the genial air of  
rivers and mountains1--lifting the soul 
to ,god by the contemplation of his     
works1--the ,bible is a sealed book to  
us1 if we do not always read its        
parallel revelation in the heavens and  
upon the earth4 ,there is an expression 
in nature which must be caught1 like    
that on a friend's countenance1 from    
itself4 ,description is not enough1 and 
the best scientific analysis1 however   
valuable as an aid1 is but a poor       

substitute for the original reality4    
,god speaks to us still in his works1   
and what prophets and bards of old have 
heard1 we may now hear4 ,we may hear it 
perhaps all the more eagerly for the    
comparative rarity of the privilege4    
,they that are trained in cities wisely 
yearn to breathe the country air1 and in
 its diviner meaning1 interpret the     
landscape4 ,pastoral poets and rural    
philosophers find their fondest admirers
 in such minds4 ,who has exercised this 
blessed ministry of the interpretation  
of nature better than ,wordsworth1 poet 
and philosopher at once as he is8 ,with 
all their exquisite refinement1 and     
their sometimes mystical sentiment1 his 
poems are tinted with the hues of sky   
and mountain1 lake and meadow1 eloquent 
with the voices of the seasons1         
breathing the calm spirit of nature in  
its pleadings with the rebel temper of  
man4 ,in how many of us they awaken     
blessed remembrances of our childhood1  
refresh us in our worn1 anxious1 and    

weary life as with the gush of living   
waters1 and the sight of grassy meadows6
 ,kind ,heaven would not have us lose   
the companionship of nature1 and has    
given us elect minds as well as glorious
 scenery to be its interpretation4      
,there is peace as well as power in     
listening to such ministries4 ,nor do ,i
 fear to place upon this list1 those men
 who have brought a fine taste and      
genial humility to the culture and      
adornment of the soil1 the improvement  
of rural architecture and landscape     
gardening6 ,what name deserves more     
grateful mention than that of ,downing1 
that lover of nature and of the art that
 best interprets her ideal4 ,i know of  
no village which does not bear directly 
or indirectly some mark of his mind1 in 
the form of a cottage or school-house1  
or a garden devised after his idea4 ,he 
has brought out the wealth of our       
forests1 and in our summer retreat1 many
 a tree that else had been cramped and  
hidden in the swamp has whispered his   

requiem to our ears4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,the course
 of thought which ,i have pursued       
regarding the objects and influences of 
country life1 will find an answer in    
many of my city readers4 ,we need no    
tent of green branches to quicken our   
remembrance of ,heaven's bounty to us   
and our fathers in our relations to     
rural scenes4 ,our memory has a leafy   
arbor of unfading foliage1 in which we  
may every day celebrate ,god's goodness 
to us in the gift of so noble a         
heritage1 where we dwell and where we   
may visit4  ,it is not well to conclude 
these thoughts upon the influence of    
scenes upon character without urging    
home the truth1 that our ruling         
principle is the main index and source  
of character2 and he is sadly deluded   
who trusts to any position to secure his
 virtue or to excuse his vices4 ,apt    
enough we are to be discontented with   
our lot1 and to burden fate or          
,providence with the blame that is our  

own4 ,we imagine some more favored      
condition to be the sure warranty of    
success and worth4 ,he who lives among  
the crowd ascribes to their example his 
vices1 and he who lives among the fields
 refers his rudeness to want of better  
opportunity4 ,older than the ,satire of 
,horace on human discontent is the wish 
of man for change of fortune1 even as   
old as man himself4 ,better for him to  
make the best of what he has1 and find  
his content thus keeping pace with his  
progress4  ,he that dwells in the       
country1 while he should use every      
opportunity for enlarging his circle of 
experience by travel1 must take heed    
lest he slight the privileges of his own
 position4 ,he may fall into the vices  
of the town among the simpler habits of 
his neighbors1 and be eaten at heart by 
the worst passion while breathing the   
purest airs of heaven4 ,he must learn   
simple truth of a power above man1 or   
nature will not save him from           
corruption4  ,he who lives in the city  

need not ascribe the evil that he       
suffers solely to circumstances1 nor    
expect mental enlargement as the        
consequence of a cosmopolitan home4 ,he 
must keep true simplicity in the midst  
of artificial conventions1 and may      
narrow himself into an earthworm in the 
midst of the men and the culture of all 
climes and nations4 ,he may be in       
bondage to a metropolitan mannerism     
which is quite as slavish as any        
provincial prejudice1 and full as far   
short of a wise humanity as of a genuine
 faith4  ,better counsel do we need than
 crowds can teach or nature alone can   
unfold4 ,wherever we dwell1 we are to   
look to a kingdom not of this world1 and
 by communion with its sovereign ,head1 
elect ,messiah and sainted intellects1  
we are to confirm what is best on earth 
by what is most gracious on high4       
,still1 though only in thought1 need we 
weave our green bowers to tell us of the
 ancient march through the wilderness to
 the promised land1 for still are we on 

our pilgrimage4 ,wisely do we keep the  
feast of tabernacles when we erect them 
at once in our remembrance and hope1    
looking upon the emblems of ,god's love 
for us in the past as the assurance of  
his love when the soul shall reach the  
river whose waters never fail1 and rest 
beneath the tree of life whose leaf     
never fades1 whose fruit never withers4 
,august4     ,returning ,home4          
,,returning ,,home4   ,two commands ,god
 gave in the beginning and is always    
giving to his creatures4 ,he bids them  
go forth and return1 and the lives of   
all beings are divided between the two4 
,the history of every man is but another
 version of the words1 ,he went forth   
and he returned4 ,all his enterprises   
and all his results may be thus simply  
described4  ,it is so common1 especially
 in our restless time1 to dwell upon the
 more adventurous change1 that the      
milder is apt to be slighted1 and1 bent 
upon advancing1 we make too little      
account of return as a primal law of    

life4 ,how can we fail to see it written
 on all things that ,god has made8 ,it  
may be read upon every dew-drop whose   
summons back to the heavens the morning 
sunshine brings1 and upon every flower  
whose gorgeous petals signal its        
triumph1 and herald the retreat of its  
vital forces to the earth whence they   
came4 ,every rising wave murmurs also of
 an ebbing tide1 and every beat of the  
pulse sends back as well as forward the 
current of life4 ,the heavens--they bear
 majestic witness of ,him who rules     
their hosts4 ,the stars are ever        
returning upon their courses1 and       
marking the seasons that time the       
periods of man4 ,insect1 bird1 and      
beast1 follow instinctively the same    
great law2 by their transformations1    
migrations and quickened or diminished  
vitality1 they turn in the recurrent    
cycles in which all things have their   
round4 ,in all ages1 thinking minds have
 been impressed with this great fact4   
,we see the impression in the early     

memorials of sober thought4 ,the wise   
preacher brooded over it1 as he spoke of
 winds and waters returning on their    
path and of there being nothing new     
under the sun4 ,it haunted the visions  
of the sages of the ,nile1 and stands   
out to the eye in that serpent symbol   
which teaches from tombs and temples the
 circle of eternity4  ,feeling          
themselves sometimes swept away upon    
this great current of events1 inclosed  
in this serpent-fold of destiny1 men    
have lost their proper sense of         
responsibility and sunk down into a     
passive fatalism4 ,from this torpor ,god
 would ever arouse us1 and have us see  
in the return1 as in the going forth1   
the same providential plan--the same    
sphere of duty and privilege4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,how full of privilege is this recurrent
 aspect of things6 ,led by the hosts of 
heaven1 the seasons walk their benign   
round1 and in their course they are ever
 renewing most delightful relations of  

life4 ,in the calendar of nature there  
are far more festivals than fasts1 and1 
to a well-taught mind1 the recurrence of
 the sadder times and scenes of the year
 brings thoughts more blessed than the  
world's reckless feasting4 ,spring and  
summer are always new and always        
cheering1 whilst autumn and winter teach
 lessons and may nurture affections more
 precious than their gayer treasures4   
,the text of nature has ever a marginal 
commentary taken from the book of the   
heart2 and as the text is read and      
re-read1 the commentary grows in size   
and interest1 for each year's repeated  
interviews reveal nature and the heart  
more fully to each other1 and give      
variety ever fresh to a friendship      
constant as the law of ,god4 ,the great 
universe was made1 we must believe1 more
 for the home of rational souls than for
 the playground of giant masses and     
powers of matter4 ,what aspect of its   
vastness is more tender than that which 
exhibits its majestic changes as waiting

 upon the discipline and affections of  
,god's children2 the great sun lighting 
the laborer to his work1 and then       
withdrawing its light to send him to the
 welcome of his home and the peace of   
his pillow2 the whole starry host       
joining together to make and mark the   
days and months whose returning recalls 
some pleasant face of life and          
,providence1 makes childhood glad1 or   
age peaceful4  ,man himself has in his  
own being a periodicity corresponding   
with the cycles of nature4 ,his active  
energies1 his sensibilities1 social and 
devout1 his intellectual powers1 have   
their recurrent periods4 ,he is         
strangely ignorant of his own nature1   
who has not learned that there are times
 and tides within his own soul as well  
as with seas and stars4 ,the plan of the
 benign ,deity for him seems to be such 
as to secure at once constancy1 and     
variety1 and progress4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,note    
well the constancy which ,god1 the ,ever

 ,faithful and ,true1 ordains for man by
 the recurrent order of his lot4 ,he    
will not have life a chaos of scattered 
fragments1 nor a stray meteor that      
follows no orbit4 ,it must have its     
periods of outgoing and return4         
,whatever be our home1 the object of our
 love or care1 to that we must ever     
recur2 and however capricious the       
humors1 or eventful the career1 every   
man's life falls into a certain circuit1
 and every heart revolves in some orbit 
by a law as sure as that which guides   
,arcturus and ,orion4 ,man1 indeed1 may 
be so perverse as to abuse the law1 but 
he cannot repeal it4 ,he may give his   
heart to evil1 and make his home with   
wickedness2 but wherever he makes it1   
there this law finds him1 and1 in a     
round of habit good or bad1 returns him 
after every wandering to his own place4 
,securing thus the constancy of his     
,providence1 ,god teaches us to see the 
moral significance of the law of return4
 ,what a lesson is here upon the force  

of habit6 ,its power comes from ,god's  
own constancy1 and woe to the man who   
inverts his nature so sadly1 that evil  
instead of good walks in the appointed  
circuit4 ,every vice into which he falls
 constantly returns upon him1 like the  
circling waters of the whirlpool1 which 
run round and round until lost in the   
dark deep4 ,every good which he loves1  
every truth he accepts1 every charity he
 cherishes1 follows the same law2       
circling in the ascending order1 like   
the vine that twines round and round its
 trellis1 to lift its leaves and fruit  
into the upper air and light4 ,the law  
of habit we cannot repeal1 but our use  
of it depends upon ourselves4 ,it is    
like the tides1 which wait not our      
bidding to rise or fall1 but which leave
 us free to launch wisdom and industry1 
or folly and rapine1 upon their waters4 
,the law says that man must return in   
his course4 ,he must go home4 ,let a    
true life interpret the benignity of    
this ,divine constancy4         99      

99       99       99       99           
,consider1 also1 the variety which comes
 from the action of this law4 ,the      
interest of existence depends in great  
measure upon a due proportion of        
constancy and variety4 ,were there no   
uniformity1 the world would be chaos1   
society ,babel1 and thought madness2    
there could be no external stability1 no
 intellectual consistency2 the senses   
would recognize no familiar things1 and 
memory could make no reliable record4   
,such a condition is hardly conceivable2
 although feuds and wars sometimes so   
disturb the stability of life as to give
 some idea of the fatal effect of such  
disorder4 ,without variety1 moreover1   
the ,divine plan would also be broken1  
and a dreary monotony would brood over  
paradise itself4 ,benign ,heaven has    
blended the two elements in our lot1 so 
that perhaps our highest pleasure       
consists in the return of familiar      
blessings with varied                   
circumstances2--not in absolute novelty 

or absolute permanence1 but in scenes1  
friends1 and pursuits ever constant and 
ever new4 ,who does not know this kindly
 mingling of joys8 ,what traveller is   
there in distant lands--lands which his 
boyish fancy has so long yearned to     
see--who does not feel more delight in  
the return than in the going away8 ,no  
matter what beauties or sublimities of  
nature and art may have feasted sense   
and soul1 the fairest sight is his own  
familiar home and friends1--the         
sublimest thought is of the ,god who    
guarded his childhood1 and whose        
presence he feels more deeply as the    
guardian of his dwelling1 than as the   
dread ,being who piled up the ,alps and 
poured out the oceans4 ,in any aspect of
 the case1 it is recurrence with variety
 that gives our being much of its finest
 zest4 ,to talk with cherished friends  
after absence1 to revisit familiar      
scenes and meditate on times past and   
present2 to perform1 under new          
influences and encouragements1 the      

accustomed round of duty2 how much of   
freshest satisfaction is thus found6 ,it
 is the best novelty and the truest     
constancy4 ,old things are made new by  
the fresh spirit infused into them1 and 
that which the apostle states as the    
feeling of a first convert to the       
,gospel1 becomes a permanent aspect of  
life1--,old things are passed away1 and 
all things are become new4  ,happy the  
man who understands self-discipline1 so 
as to secure this charm1 and mingle     
constancy and variety in his pursuits4  
,he will divide days and years in such a
 way that life shall be ever more       
constant and more fresh4 ,no servile    
drudge to worldly care1 no capricious   
pleasure-seeker who is always uneasy1   
because always sated1 he will be a      
faithful worker and a cheerful friend1  
stronger for work by recreation1 the    
wiser for enjoyment by his              
work1--filling his time with such varied
 uses1 that recurrent duties shall be   
welcome to him each in its time1 and    

every day's life illustrate in some way 
the varied uniformity of ,god's plan for
 nature and humanity4 ,great obstacles1 
we know1 lie in the way of such order2  
for care is often too imperious and     
protracted1 and pleasure too engrossing1
 to make true method easy2 but the      
obstacles yield before a just purpose1  
and1 in the end1 every man is the       
artificer of his habits4 ,he can make   
his life constant to its appointed      
round1 and varied in its constancy4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,so ,god teaches us the moral           
significance of the law of return1 by   
showing its bearing on the stability and
 freshness that give charm to our days4 
,yet more1 he teaches us to find in it  
the true law of progress4 ,he bids us   
return1 but not the same1 nor to the    
same1--he bids us return better or      
worse1 and to a state of things better  
or worse4 ,this is a necessity1 and we  
are called to make it a happy necessity4
 ,not in a circle of absolute           

uniformity1 but in a rounding path1 in a
 spiral course1 we wind our way upward  
or downward1--our way turning indeed    
ever upon itself1 yet at a higher or    
lower mark4 ,the very structure of      
language indicates that true progress is
 the returning of the mind towards its  
previous experience4 ,what is the       
accumulation of knowledge but           
remembering the facts of previous       
observation8 ,what is wisdom but the    
fruit of reflection1 or turning thought 
backward upon its course8 ,what is      
repentance but conscience revising past 
errors8 ,what is reformation but the    
whole man returning to himself and to   
,god8 ,it is progress that gives its    
most cheering aspect to the recurrent   
order of life4  ,return then to thine   
own home as each day1 or week1 or season
 repeats the decree4 ,return to do      
better than you have ever done1--to see 
more clearly than before the demands of 
your position1 the errors of your way of
 living1 your indifference1 perhaps     

unkindness1 towards those who daily look
 to you for a nurture1 better than that 
of perishing bread4 ,return to thine own
 house1 and consider whether among the  
guests there welcomed1 the only abiding 
,comforter is entertained1 and the good 
angels that go with him are not shut    
out4 ,return with thought more free to  
see things as they are from your        
temporary absence from the trammels of  
routine1 with affections fresh from     
nearer companionship with nature1 with  
powers renewed for the sober work of    
life4 ,let fortune smile or frown more  
than of old1 make sure of your own soul1
 and do better than you have done4      
,constant and varied in many respects   
our life must be4 ,god bids us add      
progress to the constancy and variety   
that he has decreed4 ,true to him1 our  
days in their returning order1 their    
various events1 their steady progress1  
shall go forward1 like the march of the 
faithful host to the promised land1     
their step responsive1 their way opening

 new attractions1 their course ever     
onward1 and above them1 swelling sweet  
and clear1 that glorious psalm of       
jubilee1 which in its rhythmic verse and
 progressive flow ever returns upon the 
same rapturous burden1 and repeats the  
hallowed anthem1 ,his mercy endureth for
 ever4  ,let this be our spirit1 and we 
shall know how wonderfully ,god         
reconciles two things apparently        
contradictory2 we shall know1 that the  
greater our progress1 the surer our     
return1--that more and more the blessed 
scenes and friends of early days shall  
come back to us4 ,memory shall mate with
 hope to cheer us1 and the evening of   
life shall add to its own tranquil      
beauty the fairest charms from the      
morning of our days4 ,the aged man turns
 ever fondly to his childhood1 and may  
enter the kingdom of heaven like a      
little child1 even before death unlocks 
its gates of eternity4  ,what a thought 
here opens--opens to us as we return to 
our homes1 and think of some who return 

no more6 ,beyond these homes1 the orbit 
of our being reaches1 and one1 nay1 many
 call to us1 ,come4 ,over the grave the 
decree is still more solemnly heard4    
,the words1 ,thou sayest1 return1 ye    
children of men1 mean more1 far1 than   
dust to dust4 ,return1 ye children of   
men4 ,dust to the dust whence it        
was1--the spirit to ,god who gave it4   
,christ repeats the call in more than   
the ,hebrew's faith1 in more1 far more  
than the philosopher's hope4 ,futurity  
as revealed by him is the way homeward  
to ,him from whom our being came1--to   
all the faithful and lovely1 who have   
blessed man and glorified ,god4 ,we will
 not scorn the philosopher's hope of    
earthly cycles recurring in progressive 
order1 until our globe bears the        
perfected harvest of a truer            
civilization1 and all nature comes to   
herself4 ,this hope is well1 but does   
not go far enough4 ,as we and those dear
 to us leave the earth1 we crave word of
 a return more blessed than any dream of

 earthly kingdoms and ages4 ,we crave   
what ,god has given us4 ,the soul about 
to go into a region by itself           
unexplored1 yearns to know that the path
 is not to night and nothingness1 but is
 a return and more than a return to     
,god1 the ,eternal ,father1 and to the  
mansions that gather from all earthly   
homes their purest treasures1 and       
transfigure them in the light of heaven4
  ,september4     ,the ,church in the   
,house4     ,,the ,,church ,,in ,,the   
,,house4   ,in his letter to ,philemon  
,st4 ,paul salutes the church in thy    
house1 and thus brings home to us a fact
 which is too often put a great way off4
 ,he brings the church into the house1  
and thus makes an every-day reality of  
an institution1 which is thought to     
belong to the disputed territory where  
controversialists quarrel1 or the close 
walls where priestcraft rules4 ,the     
church1 what is it8 many are virtually  
ready to ask4 ,is it a certain style of 
edifice1 or platform of opinion1 or set 

of ceremonies or band of officials8 ,in 
the apostle's mind1 surely it was a very
 tangible fact1 and he closes his letter
 so full of friendly remembrance and    
delicate courtesy with an affectionate  
message to the church in his            
correspondent's house4 ,he meant1 of    
course1 by the church the ,christian    
people under ,philemon's roof1 whether  
those who lived there constantly or     
those who came to worship occasionally4 
,the same greeting is several times     
repeated in ,paul's letters1 and fitly  
guides us in some thoughts on practising
 ,christianity at home1 or the ,church  
in the ,house4 ,we would show that4--   
,there should be a church in every      
house1   ,what makes it a true church in
 itself1   ,and how it may be true to   
the church universal4  ,there should be 
a church in every house4 ,nay1 we might 
indeed say1 that there must be one      
there1 unless the people are heathen or 
infidels4 ,a church is a society of     
,christians for ,christian purposes1 and

 it is not easy to see how any worthy   
family can fail to answer to this large 
definition1 if they will only think of  
it4 ,is not the compact which united the
 heads of the family to each other1 and 
pledged them to their children1 a       
,christian compact1 expressly sanctioned
 by religion1 as well as by civil law8  
,can the compact be kept in any         
tolerable sense without ,christian      
influences1 and is it not expected as a 
matter of course1 that every house shall
 possess those standards of faith and   
practice1 those ,scriptures1 which set  
forth ,christ as ,saviour and mark his  
people as his own8 ,is not all that is  
done in piety and charity within the    
household1 as far as it goes1 a         
ministration of ,christianity8 ,we      
certainly might justly take offence1 if 
it were said of us1 that the apostle's  
salutation could have no sort of        
application to our home1 on the ground1 
that there is nothing distinctively     
,christian there4 ,in all proper        

humility1 consider how we have been     
educated1 what books1 what teachers we  
have enjoyed1 what influences we have   
won from the great thoughts and great   
institutions of ,christendom1 what      
convictions we have tried to cherish    
amidst all our cares and                
changes2--consider these things1 and    
would it be right to say that there is  
nothing ,christian at home1 nothing of  
the church there8 ,some families may    
indeed seem to be very worldly1 almost  
godless2 yet even they are likely to    
have among them1 however unworthily2    
some traces of ,christian institutions1 
and within their desecrated roof the    
,bible with its glad tidings1 and memory
 with its treasured wisdom1 and         
conscience with undying witness1 still  
speak of ,god and ,christ1 and so far   
the place is holy ground4  ,if thus in  
some sense there must be something of   
the church in every household not       
utterly depraved1 is it not well to give
 importance to the fact1 that what must 

be in some way should be in the right   
way8 ,many men have been ,christians    
without knowing it1 and many families   
have been churches without thinking of  
it4 ,all simple1 unconscious goodness is
 to be honored2 but it is not so        
frequent as to make conscious effort    
dangerous1 nor will the most beautiful  
and spontaneous piety lose any of its   
grace by opening its eyes fully to what 
is to be done4 ,let the spheres of our  
life be distinctly seen1 and the        
affections will be all the freer and    
fresher for the clear vision4 ,let it be
 distinctly seen1 that they who live in 
one household1 by that fact stand in    
close relations to each other1 and have 
a faith to cherish and a work to do4    
,let it be seen1 that the family was the
 oldest church holding its worship      
before temples were built or priesthoods
 formed1 and that the true temple and   
the true priesthood1 instead of         
repealing1 do but consecrate anew the   
patriarchal church1 and ,moses and      

,jesus both give new power and beauty to
 the covenant with ,abraham and the     
individual family4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,let there be a   
church then in every house4 ,we now add1
 let it be a true one4 ,what makes it   
such1 do any ask8 ,the apostle's        
benediction is a sufficient reply4 ,to  
the church in thy house1 grace to you   
and peace from ,god our ,father and the 
,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,grace and peace3 
these are the true consecration of the  
household4 ,grace1 bringing into all    
souls the riches of ,god's favor1 and   
winning them to him through a heavenly  
faith1--peace1 drawing all hearts into  
unity1 and harmonizing all labors by one
 ruling love4 ,grace--this comprises all
 that ,jesus came to give to men1 all   
the divine life that he would impart4   
,its source is ,god's own ,spirit1 his  
wisdom1 his power1 his mercy--and there 
is no way of defining it so good as the 
simple gospel way4 ,consider what was in
 ,jesus1 and what he gave to those that 

trusted in him1 such a sense of ,god's  
being and goodness1 such life of the    
soul1 such assurance of a divine kingdom
 both present and future1 such          
consecration of all faculties by one    
comprehensive faith1--consider this1 and
 we best discern what grace is1 and how 
it gives vigor and beauty to the        
household as to the individual4 ,its    
source is in ,god1 but it is to be      
received by the soul's own will1 and to 
open the soul to its influence has been 
the great effort of all worthy          
theologies1 creeds1 worship1 ministers4 
,we would not disparage any of them1    
while we do plead earnestly for the     
importance of the church in the house1  
with its own peculiar means of grace1   
its affections so demanding to be       
confirmed by a love that is divine1 its 
pleasures so readily opening the soul to
 gratitude1 its sacrifices so full of   
blessing when devoutly rendered1 its    
labors so rich in the fruits of the     
,spirit when springing from a root of   

faith1 its vicissitudes so eloquent in  
providential lessons1 its memories so   
full of caution1 its hopes so thirsting 
for immortality4 ,god surely has opened 
in our homes precious means of grace1   
and blessed are they who by prayer      
uttered or unuttered--by devout trust   
spoken or unspoken1 use these means     
sacredly as in the church of ,christ6 ,a
 transforming spirit will be at work    
there1 and will transfigure all its     
experience by a divine light1 and       
consecrate all its various gifts and    
faculties by a divine power4  ,and in   
its train peace will come--not merely   
the quiet that checks harsh words1 and  
regulates tumultuous cares2 but the     
interior peace that tranquillizes each  
mind without breaking down its force1   
and harmonizes all diversities of talent
 and temperament without mutilating any 
nature4 ,peace1 as the corresponding    
,greek word teaches1 is that which binds
 together1 and who needs this more than 
those whom ,god would bind together8 ,it

 is a great thing to have it1 and it was
 a great triumph of ,christianity to    
give it4 ,in some respects it was a     
greater triumph to win to living unity  
the various tempers of the primitive    
,christian families1 than it was to     
subdue the empire of the ,caesars into  
one confession of faith1--greater       
certainly1 inasmuch for various tempers 
to agree in all the numberless points of
 daily contact is more than to agree in 
the one point of a nominal belief4      
,paul1 in defining the economy of the   
true church1 began by declaring1 that   
there are diversities of gifts but the  
same spirit4 ,blessed in many respects  
has been the comment of history upon    
that word of inspiration6 ,who that has 
any sense of ,god's use of providential 
men1 does not adore the wisdom that has 
employed such various minds for the same
 great purposes1 and made history such a
 book of ,providence1 telling us of the 
wise and good and mighty characters of  
insight or argument1 learning or        

eloquence1 sensibility or daring1 who   
have done their part to build up the    
kingdom of ,god8 ,the church is truer as
 this is better done1 and all           
differences of power combine in one     
work4 ,carry out this idea at home1 and 
what a sphere for that peace of ,god    
which would harmonize all diversities by
 one good spirit6  ,in a worldly point  
of view shrewd men study the characters 
of their families with something of this
 aim1 and desire to see what their      
children are best fitted to do1 that    
they may choose such callings as shall  
bring out their powers best for the     
wealth or dignity of the household4     
,this desire we are not quarrelling     
with1 but enforcing a higher study of   
character that seeks to look more deeply
 into the mind1 and provide far more    
thoroughly for the great work of life4  
,do not by any means fail to discern the
 mathematician1 the orator1 the         
mechanic1 the artist1 the farmer1 or    
whatever else may be the varieties of   

talent in your family4 ,but discern also
 the various faculties and dispositions 
in a religious point of view1 that each 
may be duly guided1 and all led to use  
their various gifts in the true heart4  
,see the tendencies that need to be     
checked1 and above all1 those that need 
to be encouraged2 and home education    
will be a ,christian nurture in the     
peace that passeth understanding4 ,far  
more bountifully than many a            
kind-hearted but too worldly parent     
thinks1 has ,providence enriched the    
house with gifts that may be ministries4
 ,that boy whose restless impulse seems 
sometimes wilfulness1 needs your        
discriminate care to win his impulse to 
a noble enthusiasm1 and may be a        
reprobate if your neglect leaves him to 
his passions or your violence stings him
 to retaliation4 ,that girl so keenly   
alive to what is pleasant to the eye and
 ear1 may make of her native taste a    
motive to every vanity1 unless you train
 the sense of beauty into reverence for 

the true loveliness and for the art that
 copies the handiwork of ,god and makes 
life beautiful in making it holy4 ,that 
keen little reasoner who vexes you with 
so many strange questions1 the doubting 
,thomas of your fold1 may be the        
chilling sceptic1 unless he is          
encouraged to be the thoughtful sage who
 can answer as well as ask4 ,that       
sensitive child who is so awake to      
religious impressions1 whose choice     
reading is hymns and ,bible stories1 and
 whose dreams upon the pillow seem often
 to be in the sweet land of ,beulah     
which so cheered ,bunyan's ,pilgrim1 may
 by your neglect become a morbid bigot1 
unless by your judicious sympathy she is
 encouraged to become a healthful       
devotee1 cheering and exalting the home 
by that interior life that made ,mary of
 ,bethany love to sit at the feet of    
,jesus1 which filled with such holy     
quietude the heart of ,jane ,guyon1 and 
moved with such persuasive mercy the    
lips of ,elizabeth ,gurney and ,mary    

,ware4  ,we need not specify the        
varieties of character that require to  
be subdued or encouraged to the same    
spirit4 ,blessed is the home where such 
peace is found2 and all are bound       
together in its unity6 ,no cunning arts 
of mental training1 no formal systems   
new or old1 no technical dogmas1 no     
mechanical ceremonials1 much less can   
any cold worldly policy do this work4   
,grace and peace must be sought from    
,god the ,father and our ,lord ,jesus   
,christ1 and our thoughts1 and studies1 
and labors quite as much as our prayers1
 must rest upon the rock of faith1 and  
look to the blessing from above4 ,such  
grace and peace at once give strength to
 the utilities and beauty to the        
courtesies of the house1 ruling its     
economy in a divine order1 and refining 
its manners by a tender humanity4 ,there
 may be various creeds and forms in the 
habits of the various members1 yet all  
are harmonized by one faith and charity4
         99       99       99       99  

99  ,such in brief is the true church in
 the house1 and being such1 instead of  
petting any narrow familism it will best
 favor the church universal by          
appreciating its office and helping its 
work4  ,it will appreciate its office1  
for what can better interpret the       
meaning of ,christian institutions than 
a faithful use of the social sphere1    
first of all in time and importance8 ,as
 we try to be wise and faithful in      
matters nearest to us1 how can we but   
cherish the wisdom kept by the church   
for ages1 and the sacred usages which   
appeal so tenderly to our home feelings8
 ,how can we fail to honor the          
exposition of the ,divine ,word1 the    
lessons of public worship1 and those    
various ministrations that take such    
hold upon life as it is1 whether to     
consecrate childhood into the privileges
 of the ,divine kingdom1 to implore upon
 human love the ,divine blessing1 to    
comfort the mourning1 to rejoice with   
the happy1 to strengthen the dying with 

an immortal hope1 or set forth the      
,resurrection and the ,life above the   
dust of the grave8 ,for the sinful and  
the lonely1 indeed1 the church universal
 has a tender and solemn voice1 but it  
is not for them alone4 ,the city of ,god
 on earth which ,jesus founded1 has its 
best offices for those who live together
 in the unity of the ,spirit1 and the   
church in the house is a better         
interpreter of its riches of wisdom and 
joy than any conclave of ghostly monks  
or assembly of keen scholastics4  ,where
 such appreciation is found1 true help  
will not be wanting4 ,helpers to the    
church will go forth from the household1
 well trained to further the various    
offices of general piety and charity4   
,every true family will take due account
 of its own numbers1 means1 and gifts1  
to give its just share of co-operation  
in every good word and work4 ,care for  
the poor1 light for the benighted1      
counsel for the young1 strength to the  
wavering--all will be duly given1 and   

even the accomplishments that with the  
worldling are means of giddy            
dissipation1 or vain show1 with the     
,christian will be means of edification 
and comfort1 so that winning manners    
shall win souls to ,god1 and voices     
tuned to melody shall breathe a harmony 
not of this world1 and give to the songs
 of ,zion all the beauty of holiness4   
,the spirit of antiquated error shall   
feel the wholesome renovation1 and the  
fresh life of the church in the house   
shall go out into theological schools   
and conventicles1 purging away old      
superstitions and carrying every where  
the catholicity of practical wisdom1    
wholesome sensibilities1 and earnest    
good-will4 ,thus it is that in the later
 ages fountains of new power have been  
opened1 and pure1 genial home principles
 and affections have done more than     
,luther's theses or ,john ,knox's       
sermons to drive monkery and all its    
brood of spectral charms and horrors    
from the church visible1 and the        

prospect of the church invisible1 and   
thoroughly to reform the creeds of men  
touching earth and heaven and hell4 ,the
 end is not yet1 and a truer1 more      
earnest and affectionate ,christianity  
is to carry out the great reformation   
and bring on a truer catholicity than   
the world has ever seen4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,thus we 
meditate upon the church in the house1  
its necessity1 its true character1 its  
help to the church universal4 ,the topic
 is itself its own personal application4
 ,the great point is this1 that at home 
we are to live as members of a spiritual
 kingdom1 and strive to infuse the      
spirit and carry the order of that      
kingdom into the feelings and habits of 
the household4 ,take this thought       
seriously to heart1 cherish it in       
meditation and prayer1 how can it remain
 idle8 ,by paths seen and unseen1 the   
heavenly grace earnestly sought1 will   
enter into the economy of the family1   
and save its peace from the war of      

hostile tempers and the inroads of a    
domineering world4 ,wise1 and kindly1   
and devout habits will be formed1 which 
make religion at once a spirit and a    
law1 free without being wilful1 orderly 
without being mechanical1 like the      
waters of ,siloa that flowed sparkling  
in that regular channel so framed by    
,god from rock1 and made sweet will of  
their obedience to ,him who holds the   
waters in the hollow of his hand4  ,such
 a household will have influences and   
associations peculiar to itself4 ,the   
sons will be manly and tender2 the      
daughters will be gentle and strong3    
parents and children in their mutual    
affections shall bring out the finer    
harmonies of human life1 that show      
,god's goodness even more deeply than   
the chants of the psalmist's choirs4 ,as
 changes come1 and the years pass1      
treasured remembrances shall fill the   
home with images sacred as the tablets  
and pictures of ancient chapels1 and    
hopes more living than monumental marble

 can record in solemn church-yards1     
shall proclaim the resurrection and the 
life over the dead2 the absent ones of  
the family will in thought always1 and1 
when they can1 in person1 make reverent 
pilgrimage to the old hearth-stone2 and 
they who die of that family1 wherever   
they close their eyes1 will have in the 
cherished ministrations of that church  
in the house the mightiest of all proofs
 of the eternal home4 ,the house made   
with hands opens into the eternal       
spheres1 and its own life repeats       
,christ's assurance of heavenly         
mansions4 ,it will have a ministry seen 
and a ministry unseen1 one seen in      
gentle charities1 the other known by    
unseen influences4    ,uttered not1 yet 
comprehended     ,is the spirit's       
voiceless prayer1   ,soft rebukes1 in   
blessings ended1     ,breathing from    
those lips of air4            99        
99       99       99       99           
,transcriber's note3  ,text in italics  
is enclosed by underscores 7italics74   

,the following misprints have been      
corrected3   themseves corrected to     
themselves 7page #bj7   diguise         
corrected to disguise 7page #ajg7   may 
corrected to many 7page #ajg7           
unostentations corrected to             
unostentatious 7page #aaa7   chidren    
corrected to children 7page #bda7       
intepretation corrected to              
interpretation 7page #bfb7