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

tween the prospered and those not
prospered Is the difference In the
amount they can afford TO lose. The
more wealth a man has the more he
can lose. but one man can afford to
lose million dollars where another
man cannot afford to lose one dollar.
On larger or smaller scale all suffer
financial loss. Amid the rapidity OF
the revolutions of the wheel of nation
nj and international finance monetary
perplexity is as common as day or
night.
So also misinterpretation and SIAN
der come TO all who live active lives
Our actions, thoroughly honest and
aboveboard. may come under suspi.
cion. Every courtroom ut every term
OF court hears illustrations Of the delu-
sion of what is called circumstantiai
evidence. Innocent men are fined or
imprisoned or electrocuted beca use of
an unfortunate conjunction OF events
What is true in courtrooms Is true in
all circles of domestic or social or polit-
ical or official life. You have been mis-
understood and misrepresented. or will
be misunderstood or misrepresented
Then how can my text be true? NV
explanation is this: The man without
any divine grace in his heart finds in
these troubles irritation and unbelief
and melancholia and despair. A Chris
tan man finds in them submission and
enlarged views and divine support and
reconsecration. Bereavement to the
wording brings hard thoughts of God
aud a resistance so violent II dares not
fully express itself. Bereavement
brings TO the Christian the thought Of
heavenly reunion and q more complete
laying hold OF God, and a more tender
appreciation of the divine presence.
and deeper gratitude that we were per.
mitted to have the departed Que so
long, and more lively sympathy for
the sorrows OF others and another evil
dence of Gods love. for whom the
Lord loveth he chasteneth"
Health Better Than Riches.
Financial loss, which Just now said
is sure to come. never breaks UP a man
who has strong faith In God. In most
cases 1t Is loss OF surplus or il is the
Punishment of luxuries. Most of the
wants of the prosperous classes are ar
tihcial wants. The late Mr.. Armour
OF the $60,O00.000 estate pointed to one
of his clerks on ordinary salary and
said, THAT man has better appetite
than l, sleeps better nights and enjoys
life more than | do" Oh. the gigantic
fniseries OF those who have too much!
man In Solomon's time expressed as
philosophic and reasonable q wish as
any man of those times or OF our times
His name was Agur. and he offered q
prayer that be might never have a SUI
perabundance or a deficit. crying out,
Give me neither poverty nor richest"
On the one side he had seen the awful
struggle OF the poor to get food and
clothes and shelter and to educate their
children, and on the other side he had
seen the equity foot, and the indiges
ton, and the insomnia. and the anxiety
about large investments. and the threat
ened paresis often characteristic OF
those who are loaded up and loaded
down with too many successes. Those
people who are generally called .he
masses-that is, the most of folks
have the things absolutely necessary
for their well being. They have no Mu
rillos on their wall, nor "Belshazzar's
Feast" I'm their dining room, nor a pair
OF $4,000 sorrels at their doorway. But
they have something which those su.
perabundantly supplied seldom have
they have better health because. being
compelled TO walk. they get the ucces.
sary exercise, and. their diet being linn
tied TO plain food. they do not suffer
from midnight salads and are not vic
timized by rare caterers They retire
for wholesome sleep at the very hour
In which others are leaving their homes
for the dance or the card party They
will sleep the last sleep just as well In
the plain graveyard as those who have
over them an arch OF sculptured pran-
lie I'm costllest metropolis or most his
toricnl abbey.
Things are more equally divided than
generally supposed. That splendid
home Is apt to have a taking off of
some kind. 1t may be an invalid wife.
or deformed child, or an Inherited
tending toward insanity, or a dissolute
son, or a despoiled reputation, or a
weakened heart that may halt under
the least excitement. Envy no man
Envy no woman. BE content with
such things as We have. Do not think.
IN order to have il well with YOU.
according TO my text, that therefore
you must have more than somebody
else, or even as much as somebody
else. The lord treats us all better than
we treat him, and II we would study
our blessings as much as we study our
disasters we would be more reasonable
and thankful. In Isaiah God saws that
bread and water shall be sure. and
none or us has been put on so low
diet; but we often act as though God
had not kept him promise because we
want more Injuries, forgetful of the
TACT that he promised bread, not cake:
water, not sparkling cordiais.
Inc reason so many people are mis-
cradle Is because they do not let well
enough alone. They are In one occu.
patton and see its annoyances and So
change to another occupation and find
as many annoyances. II not more. They
I'VE In one place and know its uncom-
portable environments and move In;
TO another place which has lust as
many limitations. Their investments
Yield them 4 per cent and they sell
out to make investments that viii
yield 10 per cent and lose all. Better
settle down and stop fretting about
yourself and the world.
An officer in Cromweil's time was SO |
worried about public affairs that he |
'ouid not sleep. His servant, a Chris. |
ian man, said he would like the privi. |
ege OF asking the officer a question.
Leave being granted, the servant said. |
do you not think that God governed |
he world very well before you came
nto itY mo doubt OF it." was the re-
'ly. "And do you not think he win
govern 1t quite as well when Won are
zone out OF it?" Certainly" ..Then-
,ray. sir, excuse me-but do you not
mink you may trust him to govern Il
IS long as you live in liz" The remark
vas SO sensible that sIeeplessness de-
'arted and tranquility came.
particular Providence is as certain
s a general Providence. 1t did not
ust happen so that Brunei noticed a
boring into the wood co suo-l