Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-11-02
The FoorPAIn TO PEACE.
Some Admirable Advice Tor Ever

some Admirable Advice Tor Every
hosaRn Being.
IN this world greatness has been Of
tenest achieved by the giving of good
advice The human soul without def
mite guidance is like a ship without a
rudder. The principal duty OF parents.
friends. elergymen, statesmen, is to al
wise wisely. The Christian religion.
made UP of advice and promises that
lead to peace and social betterment, did
for human life what the discovery of
the mariners compass did for naviga-
ton.
SO much by way OF prelude. Now we
ask you TO read TO those who surround
you the advice given below. Read IL to
your children and explain its meaning
Read ii to your husband disturbed by
care, TO your son vaguely ambitious.
Read IL carefully yourself. The advice
Is written 10y Henry Van Dyke, recent
ly distinguished clergyman, at pres
ent an instructor at Princeton college.
Mr.. Van Dyke decided that he could do
more good in educating the brain than
in laboring to convert the brain from
fixed habits of foolish thinking ana
gave up the ministry for college work.
He never did more for education than
when he wrote the following words.
which he calls "The Footpath to
Peace"
ITO be glad of life because it gives
you the chance to love and to work and
to play and to look up at the stars, to be
satisfied with your possessions, but not
contcnted with yourself until you have
made the best of them; to despise moth
ing in the world except falsehood and
meanness and to fear nothing except
cowardice, to be governed by your ad-
vibrations rather than 10y your disgusts,
to coyet nothing that is your neighbours
except his kindness of heart and gen.
tleness OF manners, to think seldom of
your enemies, often Of your friends and
every day OF Christ and to spend as
much time as you can with body and
with spirit In Gods out of doors These
are little guideposts on the footpath to
peace"
There Is In this advice almost every
thing that Is called for In advising the
old or the young. That which is lack
Ing, we should say. is one line strongly
L.
Effort Is every mans duty. Effort JUS
titles his existence here. Through eff
fort spurred by ambition, mans work
here is done-without ceaseless effort
his life cannot be satisfactory. But Mr.,
Van Dyke, himself au example of
ceaseless striving and hard work, aim
ed In the advice quoted ut intoxicating
high spiritual view of life's duties
and purposely, perhaps, omitted from
his brief discourse the appeal TO ambi-
ton.
Most important in the advice given.
we believe, are the following extracts:
ITO look up at the stars" ito think
every day of Christ" Restful and in
spring to mind and soul is the view Of
the stars. comforting us for our failures
with the assurance OF our infinite little
ness, lending dignity to our earth and
our life through our brotherhood with
the great ocean of worlds that make up
the universe. The day will come when
man. conqueror OF this little earth and
Its petty problems, will look outward
and upward TO the greater worlds
around him for all inspiration and
hope, when his interest in this world
compared with other worlds will be as
his present interest I'm some towering
house plant compared with the entire
broad earth.
ITO think every day OF Christ" This
Is not the place 60 treat OF this sugges-
ton from the religious standpoint. But
this may properly be said here: Every
man, apart from all religious belief,
can be made n better man by earnest
study and daily contemplation OF the
character OF Jesus. Seen only as n
man his character better than any 9TH
or is calculated 10 inspire other men.
Courage, that ali mon admire. Christ
possessed IL TO the uttermost limit.
Modest courage that could not boast
and that death could not move. Kind
ness, that makes the world hnbitable.
Christ was It's personification or earth.
Compassion, eloquence, purpose I'M
changeable. charity, forgiveness OF 9TH
ers' weakness-all these may be studied
In Christ as In no other man that has
ever appeared upon earth.-New York
Evening Journal.