Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-11-30

eternal happiness depends upon the
adoption of its teachings. Once and
forever make up your. mind whether II
is the book of God or the book OF vii
famous pretenders-
So also many are unfixed In regard to
their spiritual condition and day after
day and year after year 80 gaddlng
about among hopes and fears and anx-
ieties. They sing with great emphasis
that old hymn which we have all sung:
Ills point loug to know:
on II causes anxious Thoughts;
Do love the Lord or nor
Am his, or arr rotf
Start ON the Kings Highway.
Why DO you not find out whether you
ere his or not? There are all the broad
invitations of the gospel. Accept them.
There are all the assurances Apply
them. There are all the hopes OF par.
don and heaven. Adopt them. There
is the Kings highway. s art on Ii.
Travelling any road, you are not salts
fed until you have found out whether
1t is the right road or the wrong road.
and you climb up In the darkness to
read the words on the finger board at
the roadside to see If 1t be the right
road. and If 1t be the wrong road you
cross over to the right road. If you arc
on the sen. you want to know into
what port you will run or upon what
rocks you gre III danger OF crashing
This moment you have all the Informal
ticn pointing to the road that tcrmi-
mates at the gate OF the Golden City
and the voyage that anchors In the ha-
80 s,Ns MI
ing when you have all the facts before
you? You ought to know by examina-
ton of chart and compass and Their
mometer In what latitude and longi-
tude you are sailing, whether In the
arctic or the tropics. A man who does
not know whether or not he is a Chris
tian is like man who does not know
whether he is a millionaire or q pau.
per. Better go TO the records and find
out. The Scriptures are the records. II
you cannot there read your title, 1t Is
because you have no title, and you
ought to begin anew. Start n new
prayer. sing n new song. open a new
experience.
SO. alas, there are those who cad
about among particular churches. No
pastor can depend on them for q single
service At some time when he has
prepared sermon after all prayer and
all research. putting nerve and muscle
and brain and soul into Its every para
graph. these intermittent attendants
are not there to hear it. While an oc-
caSional absence is excusable for the
qualification of some wish TO hear that
which is consecrated or religiously ora
toric in some other pulpit. when the
pastor of n church with his eye calls
the roll OF attendance by your presence
i'm the old place practically answer.
saying: II am here to get the benefit Of
oil the useful thoughts you may utter
and of all the hymns you may give out
and Of I'LL the prayers you may offer.
|, soldier OF Jesus Christ. am I'm my
own place In the company. In the bat
talon. in the regiment. md when you
command 'Marchr ! will march. and
when you command 'Haltr I will halt,
and when you order Ground armsp
Will ground arms"
CEdnbouts InJure Churches.
But. oh. how the gadabouts injure
the churches, Instead OF staying in
their own prayer meeting or Sunday
school they afillct other prayer meet
ings and Sunday schools. meet them
on the street going the wrong way on
Sunday morning or evening. and &C.
cost them In the words OF the text.
why gaddcst thou about so much to
change thy wayy"
My text also addresses those who In
Search OF happiness are going hIther
and yonder looking for that which they
End not Their time Is all taken up
with "musicalcs" and progressive
euchres" and teas and yellow lunch.
cons and 'at homes" and dances and
operas and thcaters. and instead OF
finding happiness they get pale checks
and insomnia and indigestion and neu-
ralgia and exhaustion and an nbbrevi-
ated lifetime. There Is more splendid
womanhood sacrificed In that way In
cur cities than In any other way. The
Judgment day only can reveal the aw-
ful holocaust OF tangled nerves and the
suicidal habits OF much of our social
life. The obituary OF such reads well,
for the story is suppressed about how
they got their death while standing in
attire OF gGuze waiting for the carriage
on n raw night on the front steps.
While IN their lifetime they possessed
all the ability for the relief OF pain and
impoverishment. yet they have no time
for visitation of the poor or to win the
blessing OF such as comes upon those
who administer to those who are ready
to perish. Plough flowers In their din
ing halls to bewitch prince, but not
one tuft of heliotrope to perfume the
room OF that rheumatic on the back
street, TO whom the breath OF one fiow-
er would be like the opening OF the
front door of heaven. Find me one
man or one woman who In all the
rounds OF pleasure and selfishness has
found a piece OF happiness as large as
that half dollar which the benevolent
and Christlike soul puts into the palm
OF the hand OF that mother whose chill
dren are crying for bread. Queen Vic
toria, riding in triumph through Lon
don at her jubilee, was not so sublime
figure as Queen Victoria In hut near
Balmoral castle reading the New Tes-
lament to poor dying man. Let all
the gadabouts for happiness know that
In kindness and usefulness and self abb
negation are TO be found satisfaction
which all the gayeties of the world ag-
gregated cannot afford.
Advice For Women.
Among the race of gadabouts are
those who neglect their homes I'm order
that they may attend to Institutions
THAT are really excellent and do not so
much ask for help as demand It. l am
acquainted, as you are, with women
who are members Of SO many boards
of direction of benevolent Institutions
and have to stand at a booth In so
many fairs and must collect funds for
so many orphanages and preside at so
many philanthropic meetings and are
expected to be In so many different
places at the same time that their chill
dren are left to the care OF irresponsi-
bic servants. and IL the little ones wait
ed to say their prayers at their moth
er's knee they would never say their
evening prayers at all. Such woman