Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-06-01

have some equipment, not as much
as some others. but what | have VIII
use. have power to frown, and will
frown upon iniquity. have power to
smile, and will smile encouragement
upon all the struggling. l have a yo-
cabulary not so opulent as the vocab-
ulary of some others, but | have a
storehouse of good words. and mean
/ to scatter them In helpfulness. | will
ascribe right motives to others when II
is possible. IL can say anything good
about others, | will say it. II can
say nothing but evil of them, will
keep my lips shut as tight as the lips
Of the sphinx. which for 1900 years has
looked off upon the sands Of the desert
and uttered not one word about the
| desolation. The scheme Of reconstruct
Ing this world Is too great for me to
manage, but am not expected to boss
this Job. have faith to believe that
the plan is well laid out and will be
well executed. Give me brick and a
trowel, and | will begin now to help
build the wall. am not sololst, but
I can sing Rock or Ages to sick
pauper. cannot write a great book,
\ but can pick a cinder out of chlld's
eye or splinter from under his thumb
nail now enlist in this army that Is
going to take the world for God, and ]
defy all the evil powers human and
satanic, to discourage me. Count me
into the service. cannot play upon a
musical instrument. but can polish n
cornet or string a harp or applaud the
orchestra"
All through that mans experience
there runs n faith that will keep him
cheerful and busy and triumphant. /
like the watchword of CromwelPs
"Ironsides," the men who feared moth
ing and dared everything, going into
battle with the shout: THE Lord Of
hosts is with us. The God OF Jacob Is
our refuge. Selahw 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
ity of faith which | am glad to know
will be recognized and rewarded for all
time and all eternity. The earthly
weighman counterposes on metallic
balances the iron the coal, the articles
of human food, the solids Of earthly
merchandise. but he cannot test or an
nounce the amount Of things spiritual
Here Is something which the Attic and
Babylonlan 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
It is a sure sign of ldlpcy or immorall-
ty. The only question is, What shall
be the style Of our ambition? To stack
up a stupendous fortune. to acquire
resounding name, to sweep everything
we can reach into the whirlpool of our
own selfishness-that Is debaslng. ruin
GUS and deathful. If In such spirit
we get what we start for, we only Sc
cure gigantic discomfort. No man was
ever made happy by what he got. 1t
all depends upon the spirit with which
we get 1t and the spirit with which we
keep it and the spirit with which we
distribute 1t. Not since the world stood
has there been any instance Of COM
plete happiness from the amount or ac-
emulation. Give the man OF worldly
ambition GO years of brilliant successes.
He sought for renown, and the nations
speak his name; he sought for afiiu-
ence, and he Is put to his wits end to
find out the best stocks and bonds in
which he may make his investments;
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
lifetime. What was the worth OF that
ambition? How much did 1t yield for
usefulness and heaven? Less than
scruple. less than a grain of sand. less
than an atom. less than nothing. Have
a funeral mile long with carriages;
let the richest robes Of eccleslastics
rustic about the casket; caricature the
scene by cholrs which chant BLESSED
are the dead that die in the Lord.
That mans life is a failure. and II his
heirs scuffle in the surrogate's court
about the incapacity of the testator to
make last will and testament 1t Will
only be a prolongation Of the failure
The son. through dissipation, spent his
share of the fortune before the father
| died and so was cut Off with dollar;
the daughter married against bis will.
| and she is disinherited: relatives whom
| he could never bear the sight OF VIII
nut 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 ties
tator never once thought OF when in
his last days he bade fearful farewells
to the houses and 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 it. 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, be reads
of a great farmer like Apcs. great
mechanic like Aholiab, great lawyer
like Moses, a great soldier like Joshua,
/ IL. IJa1alyf0h