Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-02-08


into crescents, or build IL into temples.
You forget you ever saw the less glori-
GUS waters at Chatsworth, England, or
Versailles. France, as you stand i'm the
balcony Of the palace overlooking the
Finland gulf, bewildered and trans
ported as you look at the one display
called the Golden Stairway fountain.
The water rolls down over "a steps |
foot high and 20 feet long. All of these
"A steps are covered with sheets OF
FURNISHED gold. Silver step of the wa
ter on stairs of gold What a glee of
liquidsl Rolling. dashing. foaming, en-.
rapturing splendorsl Chorus of Hoodsl
Poetry OF watersi Doxology of tor.
rents But that which most impressed
me there and elsewhere is tue album
dance OF water, the fact that there are
so many waters that the continents can
afford to throw them away into the
sea. Hudsons and Ohios. Oregons and
Amazons, Rhines and Danubes and
Volgas, end so abundant that the earth
can afford tn have its oceans evaporate
into the heavens. Mediterraueans and
Atlantics and Pacifics How rich the
earth is with watersl Best beverage of
all the nations. for after the richest ban
quet with the richest beverages every
one wants at least sip of it-water.
cool water, God descended water.
Trust the Lord.
With still more abundance is the air
| distributed. An earth full of Il; q sky
full OF It. Swiftest and strongest eagle
cannot ny so high as not to have il in
the nostril or under the wing. And
what at1uence of sunlight! No one but
the infinite God could dispense so much
| of 1t. The golden candlestick set ON
the blue mantel OF the heavens, So
great that the Almighty is compared
to 1t. the psalmist crying out. "The
Lord Cod is q sum- Ii is high time
that we recognize in our liturgies and
In our formulas OF prayer the three
most abundant blessings OF the uni
verse which come to ALL
Now, IL It not time that we all began
more thoroughly to trust the Lord? We
trust him with our souls; why not trust
him with our bodies? We trust him
with our spiritual interests; why not
trust him with our temporal interests?
We believe what is said to us by an or
oinarily honest man. l could not anger
you so much or make your cheeks so
Durn with indignation as to doubt your
truthtuiness, and how do you suppose
the Lord of heaven and earth feels
when you doubt him as he declares i'm
the text, Say We to the righteous that
II shell be- well with him?" Such q
promise as that ought to calm your
pulses and irradiate your countenance
n
for, after ali, IL makes but little differ
ence what becomes of us here IL we
come out at the right place, amid the
right surroundings and i'm the right
companionship. What are the 20 or 40
or so years of terrestrial stay compared
with the centuries, the millennlums.
the cons OF our chief lifetime, which
we are to begin when we quit this in
significant planet, insignificant as COM
pared with the size of other worlds?
This world Is only a schoolhouse for
heaven. We learn here only the a BIC
or q higher literature or the simple ad-
dition and subtraction of an infinite
mathematics and are practicing the
eight notes of an eternal harmony.
The most important question that
any man ever asks is, "What will be
my destinyY' "whither am l boundY'
Where shall I landT" 'what is the
terminus OF this short journey?' Now.
child OF God. do not worry about that.
1t shall be well with you In your next
state OF existence. We know but little
about heaven. There is but little con-
corning Il in the Bible, and that Is on
the last few pages ana Is mostly figu.
rative- Do you know the reason why?
| suppose II is because IL we knew the
full attractiveness of that place we
would be untitled for our duties here.
we would feel that we were standing
In the vestibule OF great Luxembourg
ana would want TO so right In and see
the glories; or standing in the port!co
or temple and would want 10 get I'm.
side among the worshipers. So we
are allowed TO hear only one bar of the
music and to see one fold OF It's up
holstery and catch one glimpse of its
towers. can make only n rough
draft of your celestial residence. but
l can authoritatively state that the
world TO which you are destined Is n
big world. brilliant world. n sinless
world. joyful world, an endless word
and world In touch with other worlds.
IL Shall He Wen.
Some scientists are now discussinp |
the opening or communication between |
our earth and the planet Mars. Ex-
periments are being made, but they |
VII! not succeed. We cannot build a |
nre large enough TO attract the atten. |
uon or that world. or lift a lens power. !
ful enough to see any response inter |
stellar We do not positively know |
that that world is occupied by living |
beings. or that, IL II Is occupied. COM
munication with them would be desir- |
able. 1t might not be so good world |
as this, and thus communication with |
IT would be debasing. But | rejoice TO |
know that heaven Is In touch with !
other worlds for their Improvement
ana depot for glorious arrivals. IL |
Is thoroughfare between this world
and that world, and coming and go
ing perpetual.
Going out of this world is as natural
as coming into IL. bat the one is with
pang. and the other is with rapture. IL
we are fitted for the uplifting process.
1t shall be well with you. Now. do nor
get SO frightened about that asthma or
that cough or that Influenza or shat
pneumonia. The worst
thing that fatal disease can do is IN
usher you into coronation and en-
thronement. 1t shall be well with Won.
Take as good care OF your health as
you can. have the best doctors you can
employ, observe all sanitary laws, keep
ID this world as long as you are per.
mitted to stay. and then when the
heavenly call comes be glad to go.
DO not care much about what your
last words" are going TO be. People
put too much emphasis on last words"
would rather know what your words
are now. In days of health and with
mental faculties In full play-your
words of kindness. your words of sym
>athy. your words of helpfuness. yo,n
words OF prayer. So live that If you
'ay not word during the last day of
Tour life there will be no doubt hcre