Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-08-02


Never was more Impressed with the
thought that In order TO be true gos-
pei fisherman Il man must surrender
himself. body. mind and soul, to the
Masters service than when some
years agoI went with party Of gen.
tlemen fishing for Atlantic founders.
At that time was not much of fish
erman. was so absorbed in the beau
ties Of nature that when | threw out
my line | would forget all about II, and
the fish would come and nibble OFF the
bait and swim away. In the meantime
l was admiring the curvlng waves;
was watching the winds pile up the
clouds into valleys and mountains and
domes and arches and fortresses and
obelisks; | was watching the sea gulls
take their morning baths or swoop
down to clutch fish In their talons,
and then with q wild cry start away
for the nests where their young were
clamOring for food. And as watched
those sea guls my mind wandered on,
and | sOlilOquized: What If death
had slain my father and mother when
l was young just as a cruel marksman
for mere sport might shoot yonder
bird? Would then have died as the
bird hedgelings would die of starva-
ton, or would | have lived to grow
up Christian man or have fallen into
crime and finally been put behind iron
bars as cOnvictY' And thus /
dreamed the whole day away and only
caught one small fish! But right along
side of me was Il man who had the
same kind Of bait. the same kind or
line and practically the same position.
He differed from me only in the fact
that he put his whole body and mind
into his work. He did not 20 down
New York harbOr TO watch the clouds
or the birds or the waves. He went to
fish, and he fshcd until the perspira-
ton rolled off his face in streams; he
fished until his hands were dirty and
till his clothes were dirty. He fished
until he forgot everything but his line.
But the result Of putting his whole
force into his work was a basketful OF
at least fifty or sixty big founders.
So, my brother, If you and | are to
become one purposed Christians, If we
want TO live to save men, we must
surrender ourselves. body, mind and
soul. to the service Of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We must leave our worldly
nets down by the shores of Lake Cal
lice and follow him. Jesus demands
that we make his service life's con-
secration. not Il Sabbath's recreation
He demands unceasing toll. not sum-
mer's sport.
The True Gospel Fisherman.
The true gospel fisherman is a brave
man. We have been taught to regard
the soldier as among the bravest oi
men. True, it needs brave heart tc
stand unbanched amid storm OF sho'
and shell and to walk up to the can
mons mouth when the bullets are fall
ing around like hail pattering upor
the pavements. But the soldier never
has to face great dangers continuously
like those the fisherman has to meet
I suppose that among all the different
classes of men there Is not one among
which the destruction Of life proper
tionately is so great as among the mel
who make the harvest of the sea theil
avocatiOn or life work.
During a recent journey across The
Atlantic and after we had been out
couple of days from New York har
Dor l saw two men pointing to a darl
cloud ahead | heard one of then
say: 1--WE are going to have a baC
night That is the Newfoundland toi
bank" Soon the thick mists began u
settle around us. All that night thu
gloomy fog horn blew. said to tn
commander of the Cunarder: Captain
why do you blow that terrific fog horn
Surely the danger of collision witt
passing steamer is comparativel.
small" "Ah." answered the captain
1--WE are blowing the fog horn chen.
to warn the fishermen. All about tnes
waters are hundreds of little fishing
smacks. The fishermen come here an'
anchor. They stay month in ant
month out until they catch their cargo
and scores and scores Of these poor fel
lows are run down every year. w
want TO warn them. if possible, tina
we are coming along" Go to any o
the little fishing towns along the rock,
coasts of old Scotland. There you viii
find women who have lost fathers ant
brothers and husbands and sons In tn
awful dangers of a flsherman's life
Every seaman will tell you that tn
perils of a sailors life are compare
lively nothing if there are only sixt
fatboms of water under the ships keel
But the fisherman rarely puts out t
the deep sea. He must fish compare
tiyelv near the shore. Then the storm
come I'D and threaten to drive the fra
craft upon the rocks. Then the fog
settle so th:ckly that the steersma
can hardly s;e the PROV of the boa
| from inc SttIIi. lCSs NhN - w "'N'
mans life. whether it is found on Lax
Galilee or off the COASTS Of Scotland o
in the Newfoundland fogs. Is life o
overwhelming danger Brave must b
the man who would follow so perilou
an avocatiOn.
So the gospel fishermen, too, must b
brave men, They must be as cOuri
geous as were Peter and Andrew. whC
to become gospel fishermen. laid dow
their lives for Christ. They must b
as brave as the heroic Father Daimler
who in order to minister TO the sic
and the dying went TO Molokai, tn
Leper island of the Pacific. and hin
self became a leper and died. The
must be as brave as that Salyatio
Army girl who stands and sings an
prays upon the street corner amid til
SCOTS and the ridlcule Of the passer'
by and who penetrates the dark alley
humanity unprotected. to seek out soul
for Christ. They have to be as bray
as that young Christian clerk who goe
from saloon to saloon giving out co.
mol traots ond lending in Drayer WheI