The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1885-03-11
For the Central Presbyterian.
" Let Your Light Shine

An address committed to memory and deliv-
cred before the West Point (Va.J Sunday School
Union, on Sunday March 1st 1885, by Tommy
Phaup. little Presbyterian boy of ten years of
age)
My Frie7ds,-The wisest of men has
told us in his writings, as recorded in the
book of Ecclesiastes, that there is time
for all things. "A time to speak, and a
time to keep silence time to weep, and
a time to laugh time to love, and a
time to hate; to every thing a season,
and time to every purpose under the
heaven"
Now some of you may have seen me in
scenes of different character from this,
during the past week.
In one of thosS characters l appeared
as an humble orator, endeavoring to re-
call to your memory the deeds of an il.
lustrious hero-a Christian hero A
man who lived through all the trying
scenes and circumstances of his life, as a
Christian, and who died as he had lived,
a Christian, leaving a name and fame
that is immortal l trust my humble eff
forts upon that occasion we're successful,
and that to-day the memory of Washing
ton is springing up fresh and green in
your hearts Then was the time, my
friends, for the exercise Of the noblest OF
virtues-gratitude and reverence-grat-
itude to God for the blessings of civil
and religious liberty, and reverence for
the memory of great and good man.
Then was the time your hearts should
have been stirred by the noblest emo.
tions of the human soul.
In another scene, l endeavored to pic
ture to you an imaginary character with
a view to afford you little innocent fun
and amusement for the time. Cali work
and no play, makes Jack" lard Tommy,
too,) a dull boy, you know, and it is ne
cessary at times to give our mind and
brain a little recreation to relieve them
from the strain of more serious matters,
and help us to forget for a while the
cares and perplexities of life. Then, my
friends was the time to laugh" and if
| am not mistaken, some of you took FULL
advantage of it, and your folks may have
had to sew on some buttons for you after
you got home.
Now, however, all that is past and
gone, and should finger in your minds
only as pleasant dream. To-day is the
time for serious things, and we should
turn our hearts in reverence and graft
tude to Almighty God for his great good
ness and mercy unto us in the past and
present of our lives. want to try and
lead you this evening, my friends, to
think of your duties as Christians, espe-
cially your duty to live as shining lights
on the gospel path, to lead sinners to re
pentance and to God. And for that pur-
pose l shall tell you this evening an APP
proPriate little story about the Widow
Lsmp."
Some years ago, there dwelt widow
in lonely cottage on the sea-shore. All
around her, the coast was rugged and
dangerous and many time was her
heart melted by the sight Of wrecked
fishing boats and coasting vessels, and
the piteous cries ofperishing human be-
ings.
One stormy night, when the bowling
wind was making her loneliness more
lonely, and her mind was coniuring up
what the next mornings light might dis
close, a happy thought occurred to her.
Her cottage stood on a high spot, and
her window looked out on the sea.
Might she not place her lamp by that
window, that it might be beacon-light
to warn some poor mariner off the coast ?
She did so. All her life after, during