Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-05-31

there runs n faith that will keep him
cheerful and busy and triumphanG ]
Ike the watchword OF Cromwells
"Ironsides," the men who feared moth
ing and dared everything. going into
battle with the shout: 1.-The Lord OF
hosts Is With us. The God of Jacob Is
our refuge. SelahP' No balance that
human brain ever planned or human
hand ever constructed Is worthy OF
weighing such a spirit. Gold and pre-
cious stones are measured by the carat,
which is four grains. The dealer puts
the diamond or the pearl on one side
OF the scales and the carat on the other
side and tells you the weight But we
need something more delicately con-
structed TO weigh that wonderful quail
will be recognized aud rewarded for all
time aud all eternity. The earthly
weiGhman comterpoises on metallic
balances the iron, the coal, the articles
of human food. the solids of earthly
merchandise, but he cannot test or an
nounee the amount Of things spiritual
Here is something which the Attic and
Babyionlan weighing systems of the
past and the metric weighing system
of the present cannot manage. "The
Lord weigheth the spirits"
Ruinous Ambition.
Put also into those royal scales the
ambitious spirit Every healthy man
and woman has ambition. The lack of
IL is sure sign of idiocy or immorali-
ty. The only question is, What shall
be the style OF our ambitiou2 To stack
up stupendous fortune, to acquire a
resounding name, to sweep everything
we can reach into the whirlpool OF our
own selhshness-that Is debasing. ruin
Gus and deathful. If in such q spirit
we get what we start for, we only Sc
cure gigantic discomfort. No man was
ever made happy by what he got. II
all depends upon the spirit with which
we get 1t and the spirit with which we
keep 1t and the spirit with which we
distribute Ii. Not since the world stood
has there been any instance of com
plete happiness from the amount of ac-
cumulation. Give the man of worldly
ambition co years of brilliant successes.
He sought for renown, and the nations
speak his name; be sought for afflu-
ence, and he Is put to his wits end to
find out the best stocks and bonds in
which he may make his investments;
he is director In enough banks and
trustee In enough institutions and pres
ident Of enough companies to bring on
paresis Of which he is now dying. The
royal balances are lifted TO weigh the
ambition which has controlled him q
lifetime. What was the worth Of that
ambition? How much did It yield for
usefulness and hcavenf Less than a
scruple. less than grain Of sand, less
than an atom, less than nothing. Have
funeral mile long with carriages;
let the richest robes OF ecclesiastics
rustic about the casket; caricature the
scene by choirs which chant blessed
are the dead that die In the Lord"
That mans life is failure. and IL his
heirs ecutfle in the surrogate's court
about the incapacity of the testator to
make last will and testament II will
only be prolougation OF the failure.
The son, through dissipation, spent his
share of the fortune before the father
died md so was cut or with n dollar:
the daughter married against his will.
and she is disinherited; relatives whom
he could never bear the sight OF will
put In their claim. and after years OF
litigation so much OF the estate as the
lawyers have not appropriated to them
selves Will go into hands which the tes-
tator never once thought OF when In
his last days he babe fearful farewells
TO the houses aud lands and govern.
ment securities he could not take along
with him into the sepulcher.
Royal balances.
But look into the dream of that
schoolboy who, without saying any,
thing about II. is planning his lifetime
career. From an old book, partly writ.
ten in Hebrew and partly written in
Greek. but both Hebrew and Greek
translated into good English, lie reads
of great farmer like Amos. a great
mechanic like Aholiab, a great lawyer
Ike Moses, great soldier like Joshua,
a great King like Hezekiah, n great
poet like David, a great CLEANER like
Ruth great physician like Luke. n
great preacher like Paul, n great Christ
like no one on earth or In heaven. be-
cause the superior OF all beings ter
restrlal or celestial. He has learned by
heart the Ten Commandments and the
sermon on the mount and has splendid
theories about everything. Between
that fair haired boy and the achieve
ment OF what he wants and expects
there are obstacles and hindrances
known only TO the God who is going TO
discipline him for heroics magnificent
L have no power to prophesy the diff
terent experiences OF his encoura ae-
ment and disappointment, of his struc-
gle OF his triumph, but as sure as God
hves TO make his word come true that
boy, who will sleep tonight nine hours
without waking, will be final victor. i
DO not know the intermediate chapters
or the volume OF that young mans life
out know the first chapter and the
last chapter. The first chapter ia made
OK nigh resolve In the strength Of God.
ana the last chapter is filed with the
rewards OF noble ambition. AS his
ooseQuies pass ont to the cemetery the
fooi WIN weep BECAUSE tney Will lose
their best friend Many In whose tenn.
poral' welfare and eternal salvation he
bore part Will hear of It Ia various
places and eulogtze his memory, and |
God Will say to the ascending spirit |
10 him that overcometh will give to |
eat OF the tree OF life, which is In the |
MIDST or the paradise OF God" In the
hour or that souls release and en-.
Ihropemept there will be heavenly &C.
.iamation as In the royal balances
The Lord weigheth the spirits"
Other balances may lack precision
and fail In cosnterpoise. Scales are az
tectsd by conditions of atmosphere and
icid vapors After all that fhe nations
nave done to establish an iavariable
standard perfection has never yet been
cached and never viii be reached.
Gut the royal balances OF which I
peak are the same In heat and cold, In
III weathers. in all lands and In all
ne haevens-Just and true to the last
'ofnt OF Justice and truth. The same
valance that weighed the tempted spir-
OF Adam under the fruit tree, and
he spirit Of Cain In the first assassina-
ion and the spirit of courage In Josh