Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-07-17


Unsancti6ed troubles are the mexora-
bic means OF dragging u sinful, de-
FAINT soul on and forever down. He
that Is unjust let him be unjust still
and he which il filthy let him be filthy
still, and he that Is righteous let him
be righteous still, and he that Is holy let
him be holy STILL" Such are the two ex-
tremes-tbe tcnets OF the believers In
total humiliation at the brink OF the
grave and those of the earnest disciple
of Jesus Christ. Do You wonder that
1 charge the hideouS monsters athe-
ism, agnosticism and infidelity with
being the chief causes OF this accused
suicidal epidemicl Do you wonder
that look to the gospel of Jesus Christ
to stay the hand Of self immolation?
VIII you not. by buckling ON the gospel
armor. prepare to wage incessant war
against the insidious demons who
blight the lives OF your fellow men by
robbing them OF peace. joy and faith
and leaving them so despoiled and Inn
Filtered that they prefer death to lifei
False standards OF Happiness.
False standards for happiness can
be catalogued among the frequent, pro-
life causes of the suicidal sin. They
are the decoying mlrages which tempt
the weary LIES traveller to lose himself
in the midst of n Sahara of sand. They
are the deceitful stars. twinkling their
benedietions over affairs of silver and
of gold and of fame, which suddenly
40 out and leave the devotees worship
ing I'm total darkness. They are the
musical voices of the sirens singing
their sweetest songs when Turing their
victims on to fatal shipwreck
In the false standards OF happiness
can be found the origin OF the disap-
pointments which 90 often end In sui
eide. Men do not first seek wealth or
fame to possess those treasures. as
miser might hoard up his gold. They de-
sire the merchant princes palace and
the kings throne because they foolish
" think that happiness is coy maiden
who loves to robe herself IN silks and
20 have her throat aud fingers a-glitter
with precious jewels. and therefore
they con the more readily find her in
the rich mans mapsion than in the
poor mans hut. II they cannot have
wealth or fame or worldly honor Is
about to be taken away from them,
then they feel they cannot have happi-
ness. Then, with one pull of the pis-
tolls trigger, they fling away their
blighted lives, as did the late cotton
king" of Louisiana. who lost his for
tune in Wall street, or as did the late
Sir Hector Macdonald of the British
army. who killed himself to avoid fac
ing the publicity of court martial and
a disgraceful dismissal from the kings
service.
Source Of True Happiness.
Now, my friends, the human being
who commits suicide merely because
the golden breasted oriole of wealth
has plumed her wings and disappeared
from sight or because The iconoclast OF
trouble has shattered the idol of fame
is doing fools business. Happiness,
true happiness, the happiness for
which we oil long and for which some
of us are seeking. Is not dependent up
on outside surroundings, but upon the
condition of the heart. Some of the
most unhappy human beings have
been the so called worldly successful
wealth OF Nathan Rothschild make
him happy? For many years he was
the universally recognized financial
king of Europe. In a single day he
made over S9,0O0,OOO. At the battle
of Waterloo he was an anxious specta-
tor. AS soon as that battle was de-
cided he put spurs TO his horse and
rode like the wind toward London.
He had n relay OF horses awaiting
him and a special boat chartered 10
take him across the channel. Then.
next morning, he appeared upon the
London Exchange and circulated the
report that Wellington wns defeated.
Securities tumbled. Bis brokers bought
them up by the millions OF dollars
worth The following day dispatches
from Wellington announced that Ma
poleon's army was annihilated. Sc
curities at once jumped upward. Ma
than Rothschild pocketed bis millions
OF profit. But. though Nathan Roths-
child was the wealthiest fnancier IN
all Europe. he was one of the most
unhappy OF men, When a friend cis-
tied him one day and said, "You ought
to be a happy man with all this
wealth." Nathan turned and, with
look OF scorn. answered.: "Happyl
Happy! ! happy! Bosh! Let us
change the subject"
II wealth does not In itself produce
happiness neither does worldly fame
nor honor. Men strive for place and
power as IL with them they were sure OF
happiness They plot and conspire and
murder that they may mount the steps
OF throne, and when they succeed
they find that they have gained moth
ing but anxiety and worry. When the
Ssrvian king and queen, Alexander
and Draga. were assassinated Pope
Leo XIII. was heard to exclaim in The
Vatican. "Oh. when will the people learn
that thrones stained with blood are not
worth havingT" And yet for financial
wealth and worldly honor thousands Of
men will surrender their all. They will
follow these will o. the wisps, though
the shining lights may lead them over
miasnic swamps and Quaking boys
and into the fatal quicksand They
will seek and struggle and continue to
struggle to possess these supposed
priceless treasures, because they be-
neve that In them the great heart OF
happiness. rich blooded and life giving,
can be foHid- Then when they have
been defeated In the struggles Of life
they sometimes drive the destroying
dagger into their own arteries, as a
tantalized serpent burfes his poison
Gus fangs In his own flesh.
Joy OF Helping Others.
Moral application: Do not try to
build the temple Of happiness out of
yellow bricks. Think not that the
broad highway which leads to the
throne room OF JOY Is always lined with
applauding and vociferating multi
fudes. The ground mole may tunnel
his way into gold mine, but he still
remains ground mole. The bot, fy-
Ing about In the darkness, may be able
TO push his claws into trembling mems
pockets, but he is still nothing but a
hateful bat