Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-10-24

trained ana most Skillful nurses who
would gladly have answered to her
call. But day and night. for three
long weeks. the mother OF the Duke of
Clarence never left his side. 1t was
her royal hand that smoothed the
sheets. Ii was her arm that lifted the
feyered head. 1t was her lips that gave
the last kiss. as the immortal spirit
sped frosn the pain racked form. Yes,
the mother. the true earthly mother,
wants to be the last comforter by the
side OF her dying child. 1t was in or
der TO satisfy this maternal desire that
Princess Alice, the daughter OF Queen
Victoria. disobeyed the orders of the
physicians. and. bending over the bed
that was reeking with the diphtheritic
germs. kissed her baby girl farewell
ami at the same time pressed her own
lips against the hot lips Of death. Prin.
cess Alice laid down her life on ac-
count OF that maternal kiss. So God. as
divine mother. is always by the
deathbeds of his children.
The Trsnscendent Triumph.
God. like the divine mother. specially
loves TO hover around the deathbed of
his children. because he can there
prove to us that 1T is not all of death
to die. nor all of life to live" and that
death can be swallowed up in victory.
he can prove Ii to those who have ac-
cepted his love and bis sacrifice for
their sins. as John Simeon proved II to
his children when he himself was dy-
Ing. In imagination. the departing
saint raised himself and. looking back,
cried out: who are your "Sorrow!"
"Who are your" "Sighingy Then
stretching his hands upward, the dy-
ing saint cried out again: "And who
are your joy" And who are you?"
"Gladness!" Then, with seraphic
smile. the dying Christian again cried
out: Farewell. Sorrow Farewell,
Signing. Farewell, Mortal Life. Wei
come. Joy. Welcome, Gladness. Wei
come. Eternal Heaven" IL an earthly
mother would long to be the comforter
OF her dying boy, surely Jesus longs to
be beside his believing and trusting
children at their departure. to tell them
Of the hope and the Joy and the tram
scendent triumph which await their
heavenly translation.
But / may be talking about a love
! which some Of you have never known,
and there may be some young men
here who never knew what it was to
possess mothers love. l remember,
short time after my own mothers
funeral, / stood for a long while with
tear stained cheeks studying 4 picture
called The Mothers Vacant Chair"
The scene was a workingman's home.
The great, broad chested mechanic sat
at the head of the supper table. de-
jectedly holding a little baby in his
arms, who was laughingiy reaching
out for his bowl of milk. Four or five
other little children were gathered
about, laughing and playing, and also
reaching for the food upon the table.
Not one OF those little ones realized In
any way the awful loss to them of the
form that had once filed that mothers
chair save, perhaps, the eldest girl,
about thirteen years of age. AS /
stood before that picture, with q sob
choking my throat said: God help
me 10 bear my trouble. But my be-
reavement Of a dear, noble, Christian
mother is as nothing compared to the
loss to those children, who, when they
grow up. will never know the joy of
experiencing mothers love-"
Gods Love synboIised.
Yes, perhaps you are one OF those
unfortunates who never knew n moth
er's love. Though her affections were
SO intense that your coming was her
meat and drink, her hope by day and
her prayer by night, yet hardly had
you come into the world when she
life for you. Once in awhile, with a
longing to find out something about the
height and depth of a mothers love,
you may so to some gray haired old
lady and say: Tell me something
about my mother. You knew her well
and were her bridesmaid when she
was married." Then that gray haired
lady will go over all the past. She will
tell you what gentle, loving face your
mother had. She will tell you how her
eyes lighted up when you were first
placed in her arms and she looked Mt
you and said: "My baby, my baby, my
little baby! God bless my babyr' Then |
that gray haired lady will tell you how
your mothers strength never came
back again after you were born. They |
took her south. hoping that the sunny |
skies would make her strong again, but |
only the warm sunshine or that eternal |
city to which she went ever worked |
her cure. AS the old lady talks you |
look at your mothers picture again and |
again and try to imagine her love for |
you. But. young man. you cannot do |
that any more than q blind bat or a |
ground mole can fully appreciate the |
colors OF buttcrdy's wing or the re- |
Election or n dewdrop. So I'm order to |
symbolic Gods love to YOU, n sinful |
man, who never knew what Ii was to |
have mothers love. / would tell you |
that 1t Is greater love than the COM /
bined loves OF father. a wife, chill
dren. brothers and sisters and friends. /
1t Is love so deep that no line can
fathoIn 1t, so high that no birds wing
can overly IT, so wide that no mathe-
matician can circumscribe it. And all |
this love OF our earthly mother is only |
an inhnitesimal part of the love which
today God, like divine mother is
ready TO pour out of his forgiving heart
for you.
JOY OF Repentance.
But perhaps l can better illustrate
what your dead mothers love was to
you by telling you Of an Incident
which happened I'm the life OF a very
dear friend OF mine. When / started
out In the ministry, i was the assistant
OF the Rev. Loyal Young Graham,
ID. d.. or philadelphia. When Dr. Ora
ham, as young man, was being or
dained for the Christian ministry, Rev.
DIR. Loyal Young, one Of the most emil
nent ministers OF western Pennsylva-
MIA In his day, was preaching the or
dination sermon. There he told this
story for the first time. MANY years
ago." said he. "a beautiful young wom-
an of the congregation ! was at the
time serving lay dying. When made
my last call upon her, she babe every
one else leave the room. Then she
lifted her little baby boy up and placed
s.a