Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-01-14
ACCOMAU c. H. VA SATURDAY, JANUARY Ia 1899.

die. and the darniDg needle, and the
washtub, and TIE spinning wheel, and
the scythe, and the thrashing machine,
and the hammer, and the trowel, and
the plow, will como to as high an APP
probation Of a ID FOUNDER. or the sword,
or the battei.4.s ram that pounded down
the wall or the flag that was hoisted
on. the scaled parapets.
A Great Soldier.
The warrior David of my text showed
more self control and moral prowess in
staying at home than be could have
shown commanding in the field. He
was natural warrior. Martial aira
stirred him. The glitter of opposing
shields fired him. He was one Of those
men who feel at home in the saddle,
patting the neck of paving cavalry
horse. But be suppressed himself. He
obeyed the command Of the troops whom
be would like to have commanded.
Some of the greatest Sedans and Aus
terlitzes have been in backwoods kitoh-
ems or in nursery, with three children
down with scarlet fever, soon to join
the two already in the ohurohyard, or
amid domestic wrongs and outrages
enough to transform angels into devils.
or in commercial life within their own
counting rooms in time of Black Friday
panios, or in mechanical life in their
own carpenter shop or on the soaffold-
ing of walls, swept by cold or smitten
by heat. No telegraphic wires reported
the crisis of the conflict, no banner was
ever waved to celebrate their victory,
but God knows, and God will remem-
Der, and God will adjust, and by him
the falling of tear is as certainly no.
ticed as the burning Of world, and the
f1utter Of spurrow's wing as the flight
of the apocalyptio archangel.
Oh, what God we have for small
things as we'll as big things David no
moro helped at the front than helped at
home. The four regiments modified
for the defense of the throne of Israel
were right in protesting against David
exposure of his life at the front. Had
be been pierced of an arrow or cloven
down with battleax or fatally slung
from snorting war charger, what dis
aster for the throne of Israeli Absalom.
his SOD, was low fellow and unfit to
reign ; his two chief characteristics were
his handsome face and his long hair
SO long that when he had it cut that
which was sciasored off weighed 1900
ehekels, after the kings weight, " and
when man has nothing but hand
some face and an exuberance Of hair
there is not much Of him. The capture
or Staying of David would have been a
calamity irreparable. Unnecessary ex-
posure would have been crime for Da-
vid, as it is crime for you.
Some people think it is a bright thing
to put themselves in unnecessary peril.
They like to walk up to the edge of a
precipice and look off, defying vertigo,
or go among contagious when they can
be of no use but to demonstrate their
own brayado, or with glee drive horses
which are only harnesesd whi-lwinds,
or see how close they An walk In front
OF a trolley car without heing crushed,
or 5Sring on rail train after it has
started, or leap off rail train before il
has stopped. Their life is series OF
narrow escapes careless of what pre-
dicament their family would suffer at
their sudden taking of or of the "is-
fortune that might come to their bust
ness partners or the complete failure OF
their life work, if a coroner's jury must
be called in to decide the style of their
exit. They do not take into considera-
tion what their life is worth to others.
Taken off through such recklessness
they go criminals. There was not one
man among those four full regiments
of 1000 Israelites that would have SO
much enjoyed being in the fight as Da-
vid, but he saw that be could serve his
nation best by not putting on helmet
and shield and sword, and so be took
the advice of the armed men and said,
"What seemeth to you best I will do. "
Warrant that you will die soon enough,
without teasing and bantering casualty
to see if it can launch you into the next
world.
Keep Out of Peril.
In nine cases out of ten the fatalities
every day reported are not the fault OF
engineers or brakemen or conductors or
cab drivers, but of the stupidity and
recklessness Of people at street or rail-
road crossing. They would like to have
the Chicago limited express train, with
800 passengers and advertised to arrive
at certain hour in a certain city, slow
up to let them get two minutes sooner
TO their destination, not one farthing
of their own or any one else's welfare
dependent on whether they arrive one
minute before 10 o'clock or one minute
after. You ought to get permission from
a railroad superintendent to mount be-
side the engineer on locomotive to re-
alize how many evils of recklessness
there are in the world-funeral process
Rions whipping up to get across before
the cowcatcher strikes the hearse; man
of family, with wife and children be-
side him in wagon, evidently having
made close calculation as to whether a
stroke fro'.l the locomotive would pus
them backward or forward in the jour-
ney to the village grocery; traveller on
railroad bridge, hoping that he could
eat to the end of the bridge before the
train reaches it. You have no right to
put your life in peril unless by such
exposure something is to be gained for
others. What imbeoility in thousands
of Americans during our recent Amerl-
so-Spanish war, disappointed because
the surrender came 80 soon and they
could not have the advantage of being
shot ut San Juan hill or brought down
with the yellow fever and carried on q
litter to transport steamers already so
many floating lazarettos instead Of
thanking God that they got no nearer to
fine slaughter than Tampa or Ohatta-