Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-06-27


might say they were poorly written.
but Christ would say they were beau
tifully written letters. In those letters
your mother always wrote about Der
Saviour. and she always penned n
sentence something like this: MY dear
boy, remember that when you are
studying about the ancient Greeks and
Romans you must not forget TO read
your Bible and study about Christ.
would have you know nothing but
Jesus only rather than have you know
everything that worldly scholars might
want you TO learn il thereby you would
neglect to know about my Christ"
Do No Dishoncr.
To show how much young man
ought TO appreciate the moral trainln.
of his old home as well us the intellec-
tual training which he receives at col
lege, the late J. Sterling Norton. who
was once "A member Of AIR. Cleveiands
cabinet, placed this epitaph upon the
tombstone OF his dead wife: Here
lies Caroline French. wife OF j. Ster-
ling Morton and mother OF Joy. Paul.
\ Clark and Mark Norton Then the
father took his four sons TO the grave
OF his dead wife and snid: Boys. your
mother Is buried here. II any one of
| you does anything dIshonorab bic or any
| thing OF which she would he ashamed
If she We're alive. l Will chisel your
name from her tombstone" And SO.
addressing you I'm the same spirit in
which Secretary Morton spoke to his
four sons. now say to you. young
men and young women. remember the
| teaching of your parents. who first
gave the right direction 10 your heart
and nature. and. as you would not dis
honor them by ignoring their moral
teaching, so ! beg of you do not intel
lectually dishonor or disgrace your al
ma mater, from whose walls you are
being graduated today"
Again congratulate you, young peo-
] pie. because hereafter you are about
TO have the inspiration OF daily re-
| wards. IL is hard task for q young
man TO work for something that is to
happen ten. twenty. thirty years hence.
TO work for something that is to take
place so far away that IL seems as
though the fact will never happen. to
work for something in the way that a
young man pays his first life insurance
premium l suppose my personal ex-
perience in getting insured is that of
almost every other young man. When
| took out twenty year tontine life
insurance policy, felt as though was
paying. for something which would
happen Mt the end OF eternity. l paid
my first premium very grudgingly; L
paid the second I'm the same way. At
the third year 1 was almost ready to
surrender the whole policy, but as the
lying years began to go over my head
saus a flock of migrating birds I began to
see that the twentieth year was not so
Tar away. Now, the last investment l
would be willing to sacrifice is that
twenty year life insurance policy.
So the young student who works Mt
his studies is sometimes willing to
slight them because graduation day.
like death. seems TO be FAR away at the
edge OF the horizon The more the
student works the farther graduation
day seems TO recede. But, my young
friends. from now on you shall see the
direct returns from your daily labors.
An aged writer once figuratively de-
clared, "Thc longest half OF n mans
earthly life is that I'm which he lives
before twenty years OF age is reached"
think that statement is true. No
matter whether a man lives to be sew
enty. eighty, ninety or even a hundred
years old, the longest half of life is
that which he passes during the first
twenty years. When we were young.
time seemed TO have leaden feet. Time.
like snail. would crawl. 1t never
walked or ran or few. To n little
boy the last week before Christmas
Is almost endless. Every second has
the longevity OF an adults hour. The
week seems as long as the average
adults year.
But as we grow older the years seem
TO have seven leagued boots. They
grow so fast that they almost seem to
be born with gray hairs. To the man
IN active life January seems almost
10 tread upon the heels OF December,
and spring and autumn seem TO be
twin sisters. My young friends. though
you may hardly be out OF your teens,
yet In the sense I'm which speak you
have already lived half OF your life.
During that first half you have had n
hard struggle TO get an education. At
times you were almost in despair. But
In answer 10 your mothers and
fathers prayers. and also TO your own.
God always came TO your rescue. You
were able TO get through somehow.
Here you are at graduation day. SO.
in the latter part OF your life, IL you
trust God and do your best he will
surely see you safely through. You
are going to have troubles, and hard
troubles. You are going TO stumble
over the hillocks OF new made graves.
You are going TO have injustices prac-
ticed upon you. But IL you will place
your hand in the Divine Fathers hand
He will never let you go.
A story OF Heroic Sacrifice.
He is able to deliver as we'll as to |
guide. To illustrate this truth DR.. New |
ton. the noted English divine. used to |
tell wonderful story OF vicarious suf- !
fering. The scene was laid in the little |
German village OF Ragenbach. One |
day number OF people were gathered |
in the large room OF the village inn. |
AS the party was merrymaking, sud |
denly huge dog appeared at the open
door, the only door which afforded |
egreSs from the room. The monsters |
eyes were bloodshot; his long red |
tongue was protruding from the mouth;
his lips were covered with mass OF
white foam. At glance every one
saw that the dog was mad. Some of
the guests were too frightened to even
pray. From every lip went the cry:
Mad dogi Mad dogl My God, what
shall we do" With that the swarthy
arose. His arms were a
mass of knotted muscles. "Stand back,
menu he cried. There is need of only
one man dying here. If necessary,
will be that man." So. while the vii
lage blacksmith leaped forward aud
the mad dog by the throat
and bore the struggling beast to the
floor, the assembled people made their