Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-05-09

leSSened by seeing carpenter handle
saw, and there never comes a time
when the man of ten talents can afford
10 despise the lessons he may learn
from the man OF one talent
The strong Mans Duty.
Proficiency being granted to Us In
mental or manual abilities. there is also
proficiency given to US in spiritual
abilities. Certain temptations which
assail one sinner DO net appeal to an
other sinner. One man may have a
lurking propensity for gambling, an
other for drink. another for llcentious-
ness. another for sloth. another for pro-
| family, another for theft, still anoth-
! cd for perjury. Some men are born
liars. Parents testify that certain chill
dren In one family have q tendency to
| falsehood from their cradles; other
/ children born in the same family never
show a disposition to preyaricate. Par
ents can often, trace the iife's weak
nesses of their children almost from
the time those children began to walk
and talk. They can distinguish certain
satanic characteristics as distinctly as
stranger can tell whether a child by
the cclor OF the skin is born from
white or black parents. OF course it is
often great deal harder TO tell wheth-
or the white child has black heart or
black skinned c;,ild has white heart
than to tell the color OF the outside
cpidermal covering.
AS nearly every man is stronger in
spiritual sense in some one way than
| his ncighbor. il ought to be that strong
mans duty TO use his strength to COM
| pensate for the weakness OF his neigh
/ Dor. Bear and forbear is the teaching
OF the Bible. This is the reason Christ
sent forth his messengers two by two.
This is tho reason we find impulsiye
Peter often walking by the side of the
well poised John; the gentle Mary liv-
ing i'm the same house with her sister,
who lost her temper in the kitchen,
spirltualzed by her own sweetness OF
soul that entire household. This is the
way i'm which we can double our loved
ones spiritual usefulness and diminish
their temptations to sin. Bear We one
anoiher's burdens has q wider and
deeper significance than most of US
have ever realized
Tighten Life's Burdens.
In helping brother bear his burdens
we make The back stronger by which
we can bear our own. 4 few years ago
dear friend OF mine was threatened
with tho loss of one of his eyes. He be-
came very much depressed. The sur
geons said the eye must be cut out. For
some time he stayed Mt homo and brood
cd over his nearing misfortune. He was
rcbcllious against God and would not
be comforted. But one day he started
down Broadway. Ahead OF him he saw
nm old blind colored woman standing
upon the street corner waiting 10 pass
over. She dare not without help. This
old colored woman had long stick in
her hand by which she would find her
way along. Upon her arm she carried
n market basket The gentleman went
up and accoSted her with the words,
We'll auntie. can help you over the
street?' The colored woman's face was
wrcathed in smiles as she answered,
THANK you. massa; thank you, suhw
On the way across the street the color
cd woman said: "Massa. some people
say ! am old and blind and no account
10 any one. But. massa. life is very
sweet TO me. | find the goodness OF
God everywhere. he has taken away
my two eyes. butthe people are always
kinder 10 me than TO any one else-I
am blind. And then. sir. have still
my hearing. My children love me, and
! can never cease TO praise God for the
mcrcios with which he has surrounded
-.,- iifa - A.. s--i-- s--------- - .---a
Ing then and there. Surely" said he,
If God can make a poor old blind col
ored woman happy. he docs love and
care for me-" When q man tries TO help
carry his brothers burdens, he finds
That his own become lighter 10 bear.
Members or Christian church are
In the sight OF God one spiritual fam
lily and therefore have a right to ex-
pect help one from another Every ship
wrecked mariner has a claim upon ey-
cry stout keel floating the wide seas.
The religion OF the Lord Jesus Christ
cannot be hemmed in by the four walls
OF religious edifice. The parable of
the good Samaritan teaches that we
should love our neighbor as ourselves.
Our neiShbor is not alone the friend
who lives next door. He Is also the
stranger OF foreign birth who has fall
en- among the thieves on the road to
Jericho. Any traveller who is naked.
ahunSered, athirst. any wayfarer who
is lost upon the mountains far away
from home. whose guide we can be. IS
our neiShbor. We rs Christians have n
duty TO foreign missions as we'll as to
nome missions, 10 the savage living in
the JunSles OF Africa as we'll as to the
heathen liz the back alley half block
away from our kitchen door, to the
waif of the street who has fallen
asleep upon our doorstep.
Direct the Feet OF the wanderer.
But the words OF the text have still
another application. Paul was adj
dressing the members OF the Christian
churches. Those churches were stu
ated in Galatia. The members-sturdy.
warm hearted, but hot headed noun
taincers-had internal dissensIons. In
the course OF his letter he LAYS
down the broad statement that each
member must bear with the faults
ana frailties OF other members They
should especially do this because they
were brethren and members of a
church family Of which God was the
Father and Jesus Christ the elder
brother. The bond OF a belief in a
common Saviour certainly ought to
help the members OF church family
10 bear with each others weaknesses.
Worldly societies help their unfortu-
nate members. i am told that the Ma.
sons not only bury their dead: they
care for living Masons who need helm.
Inc? have certain signs and hand
clasps.
During the bitterness OF the Ameri-
can civil war the Masons in gray re-
membered that they were the brothers
OF the Masons in blue. Many life was
saved on account of their Masonic
oaths. "A Mason in good and regular
standing can find friends In any CITY
Of EN..nlIaa IL LII.