Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-06-19

been there. Why, mother said tnur
some of those apple trees We're forty
or fifty years old. Some OF them We're
as old as my grandfather and grand
mother. and they are awfully old"
Yes. my boy. you are right again.
Some apple trees live TO be very, very
old. But those trees did not just grow.
Every tree had n beginning. III you
cut open the apple which hold in my
hand YOU will find i'm the center of II
an apple core. Right in the center OF
the apple core you will find little
brown seed. Now. children, IL you
will take this apple seed and plant Il
in the ground in the springtime that
seed will burst open and begin to grow.
The little roots of that seed will begir
TO grow down. A little green shoot
Ike grass will begin to grow up. Ther
the green grass will change after
awhile into stem. The stem will
change after awhile into tree trunk.
From that tree trunk will grow the
branches. From the branches will
grow the leaves and the blossoms.
From the blossoms will afterward
grow the apples. The apple tree does
not come forth from nothing. The APP
pie tree first grows from the little seed
like that which hold In my hand.
Christ the Guide.
Now, little child's life can be COM
pared TO Il seed. How? Because you
know a seed does not grow unless 1t Is
rightly planted in the right kind Of
ground. Weeds will grow anywhere
without any care. So IL the good seed
1 spoke OF just now does not get cared
for and looked after ii will not grow.
but the bad seed will, and your lives
will become like weeds-good for moth
ing. Now, If you ask Jesus to look aft
er you and take charge Of you, out OF
your nature can grow the great trees
of righteousness which will bear forth
good fruit If you will only let the roots
of your heart grow about the rock Of
Calvary, upon which once stood the
Saviours cross. Dc you not see, chill
dren, how important It is that you give
your life to Christ now IL from your
little selves must come all that Is good
or all that is bad?
Little children should come to Christ
soon, very soon. Their Christian ia
theirs and mothers will not be able
much longer TO shield them from the
evil temptations as they have been able
to do. When my little boys and girls
were at home could do what pleased
with them. i could say Susan" or
Gertrude" or Thomas De Witt" or
"Frank"-for / have four children-"I
oh 20 &v,ak
little boy you were with this morning."
And II one OF my little girls should say,
"Why, papa?" 1 would answer: 81 do
not think he is n nice little-boy. heard
his mother call to him today to come
into the house, and he answered, Il
won't come And when his mother
went after him he lay right down in the
street and began TO kick and scream
and bite. Now, no good little boy will
ever act like that, and j do not want
you to 60 with him."
But. children, though ] may have
been able TO guard and shield and pro-
tect my little girl while she was at
home, there came q momentous day
when she went beyond my direct care
and guiding influence. That day first
came when we sent her TO school. It
was n sad time for the parental heart
when our oldest child had to pack her
little schoolbooks and leave home.
Her mother took her up to q great big
room filed with little boys and girls
and left her there. In that school we
knew that there were bad girls as well
as good girls, bad boys as well as good
boys, and she had to sit there and as
sociate to some extent with them all.
Now, who is going TO look after my
little girl when she goes to meet the
temptations Of school unless Christ
who loves little children, goes along
and takes her by the hand? Who Is
going TO tell her what to do when the
bad girl tells her TO disobey her teach
err and whispers in her ear the naughty
story IL Christ is not there? Her
mother cannot do II. Her father cam
not do ii. We are not there. Christ
only can be her guide and her shield.
Temptations OF the Little Ones.
Some grown up people do not think
that little children have any big temp
tations. But know that some OF the
greatest temptations we ever have In
life come 10 us when we are young,
very young. / knew of one little boy
who did not take Christ along with
him to school. One day his playmates
were teasing him. Then, because he
did not have Christ with him, he lost
his temper and picked up stone and
threw it at the boys. and he hit an
eye Of one OF the boys and put 1t out.
That little boy, who afterward grew
up to be big man, had to so through
life with his eye blinded. knew OF
another little boy who, because he
did not have Christ with him, wanted
to brighten a playmate, as bad boys
sometimes do. He pushed him from a
bank into n river and the little boy
was drowned. i saw his poor little
body after 1t was taken out of the
water and 1 heard the broken hearted
mother weeping over 1t. 1 knew OF
another little boy who grew up to be
thief and was sent to Jail because,
when he was young. his bad little
schoolmates taught him how to steal
pennies out OF his mothers pocket
book. All, children, you cannot afford
TO go to school and meet the tempta-
lions of the playground unless you
take Christ along as your divine pro-
tector.
Then, after awhile, you must go still
farther away from the protecting care
OF your parents. AS young men and
women you must so out into the great
wide world and live entirely away
from home You must be like your IA
Their and mother and earn your own
living. Then, If you do not have Jesus
10y your side, there are many, many
temptations which will besct you and
trip you up. Are you now going to
drive Christ away from your heart
and life? Remember lie Is your chief
protector. / once read beautiful
story about a ST. Bernard dog which
was killed by the hand OF the man be
was trying to save. 1t was ON the IA
nous st. Gothard pass, a road leading
over the tall mountains of Switzerland
which most OF the year is covered with
snow. Travellers going over that pass
| often become so benumbed with the