Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-05-03

WHO nave not one uOiiar iaid up Tor a
rainy day. IL Is n CHASTITY dishonesty
practiced on the next generation. Such
men deserve bankruptcy and impover
ishment. In almost every mans life
there comes a winter of cold misfortune
Prepare FOR II while you may. Whose
Thermometer has not sometimes stood
below zero? What SHIP has never been
caught I'm a storm? What regimen; al
the front never got into n battle? Have
st least rs much foresight as the lnsec
tile world. Examine the paDtrles OF
the ant hills in this April weather. and
you wiz fud that last summers sup
ply is not yet exhausted. Examine
them next July. and you will lind
them being replenished Go to tile
ant. thou sluggard. Consider her WAYS
and be wise, which. having no guide
overseer or ruler. providetb her meai
in the summer and gathereth her food
i'm the harvest"
Avoid Avnrice.
This is no argument for miSerliness
Avarice and righteousness destroy .
man about us soon as any of the Other
vices. We have heard OF those who
entered their iron money vault foI
business purposes. and the door acci
den,aliy shut. and they were sufrocat
cd. their corpse not discovered until th,
nest day. But every day and all uI
and down the STREETS of our cities Their,
are men. body. mind and soul. forever
fast In their own money vaults. Ac
cumuiaiion of bonds. mortgages anC
| government securities and town lot:
and big farms just for the pleasure OF
accumulation IS despicable, but the nut
ting aside of a surplus for your self de
| Tense when your brain has halted, oil
/ your right hand has forgotten its Gun
J ming. or your old age needs manserv
ant. or for the support OF others wher
| you can no more be breadwinner fol
| your household-that is right, that is
/ beautiful that is Christian, that is di
v'neiy approved. That shows that you
have taken Solomon's ant hill for an OBJ
| jet lesson. Going out of this world
without leaving n dollar for those who
remain behind, n you have done your
best. you have right to put your head
in calm confidence on the pillow which
jeremiah shook up In the forty-nintl
chapter of his prophecy. Leave thy
fatherlcss children. ] will preserve
them alive. and let thy widows trust In
me-" But If. having the means, through
mortgages or houses or life insurance
for providing for helpless widowhood
and orphanage you make no provision
for post mortem need. how dare you 60
up and take palace In heaven and lie,
your wife and children go TO the poor
house or into struggle for bread that
makes life n horror and sometimes ends
IN suicide?
But my subject reaches higher than
temporalities-f foresight for the soul
provision for eternal experiences. prep
araiion for the far beyond. Ant hills.
speak out aud teach us a larger and
mighuer lesson of preparing food FOR
the more important part OF usl Do
you realize that a man may be mil
louaire or northumberland for time
and bankrupt for eternity. n prince
for few years and pauper forever
The ant would not be satisfied with
gathering enough food for half n win
ter or quarter OF a winter But how
many OF us seem content. though not
having prepared for the ten. millionth
part OF what will he our existence,
Put yourself in right relations to the
Christ OF the ages. through him seek
pardon for all you have ever done
wrong and strength for all you will he
called 10 endure. aud there will be no
force in life or death or eternity 10 dis
comii, you. declare IL! There is
enough OF transforming and strength
enlng power in Christ for both hcmi
spheres!
Importance of Little Things.
Furthermore. go TO the ant and con
slider that 1t does not decline work be
cause IL Is insignificant. The fragment
OF seed il hauls into its habitation NAY
lie so small that the naitied eve cannon,
see II. but the Insectile work goes on
the carpenter ant NJ work aboveground
the mason ant ut work underground
Some or these creatures mix the leaves
or the fir and the catkins of the pine
for the roof or wall OF their tiny abode.
and others so out as hunters looking
FOR food while others In domestic du.
Ties stay Mt home. Twenty specks OF
TIE food they are moving toward their
Sranary. put upon balance, would
hardly make the scales CULVER. All of
IL work on n small scale. There Is no
use In our refusing n mission because
IL Is insignificant. Anything that God
In his providence puts before us TO do
is important. The needle has its office
as certainly as the telescope and the
spade as parliamentarian scroll. You
know what became OF the man In the
parable OF the talents. who buried the
one talent Instead or putting it to prac.
ucai ana accumulative use. HIS apol.
ogy was OF no avail
There is no need OF our wasting time
and energy in longing for some other
sphere. There are plenty of people TO
DO the big and resounding work of the
chhrch and the world. No lack of |
prigadier generals or master builders
or engineers for bridging Niagaras or |
tunneiing Rocky mountains. For every |
Dig enterprise of the world a dozen |
candidates. What we want Is private |
soldiers In the common ranks, masons |
not ashamed 10 WELD a trowel, candi. |
dates for ordinary work 10 be done In |
ordinary ways in ordinary places. Right |
where we are there is something that
God would have us do. Let us do II. |
though 1t may seem to be as unlmpor.
tant as the rolling OF grain Of corn |
into an ant HILL
Furthermore. go to the ant and con-
slider Its neutrality-suspicious.. If by the
accidental stroke of your foot or the
removal of timber the cities OF the
insectile world are destroyed, instantly
they go to rebuilding. They do not sit
around moping. AT it again in a sec.
ond. Their fright Immediately gives
way TO their industry. And if our
schemes of usefulness and our plans of
work fail why sit down in discourage
ment! AS large ant hills as have ever
been constructed will be constructed
again. Put your trust in God and do
your duty, and your best days are vet
to come. You have never heard such