Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-11-20

the reactionary evil influence upon our
selves. One OF the greatest bulwarks
against sin Is the God implanted desire
TO be thought well OF by your neigh
bors. a man. ON account of principle.
ought to be ready, II necessary. to defy
the scorn and the sacer aud the op-
probrium and the persecution and the
Misrepresentation and the ridicule OF
the human race. But every man may
desire that his neighbors and friends
think well OF him: that they should re
gard his name as the synonym OF hon
esty and truth and probity and recti-
tude. And when any man comes to
the dangerous condition In which he
does not care what his neighbors think
about him, when be Intentionally and
recklessly stirs up hornets nest of
needless criticism: when he tauntingly
boasts that II does not matter what 9TH
ers may say. rs long as he Is not doing
wrong. then that mans feet are tread
ing the soft quicksands OF temptation
and walking along the narrow edge OF
the precipice of death.
Keep engagements.
My sister. be careful about the char
acter Of your associates. My brother,
you who are an officer or member Of
the Christian church. would not at
tend the theater again. You may say
you saw nothing wrong. You may say
you need the relaxation. But you can
find that relaxation in some other way.
You cannot afford the risk. Young
man, would take down that seminude
picture from your wall. You may say
II causes no evil thought In your mind.
You may argue that the nude In art
is just as essential for true beauty as
the nude In the dissecting room Is es-
sential for the development of sur
gerry. But you cannot afford the risk.
Abstain from all appearances Of evil
Perhaps you think this my own per-
sonal thought. 1t is not. Read I
Thessalonians v, %, abstain from all
appearance Of evil" 1t is the apostolic
command.
Small essential the last: The inexc-
rable duty of keeping an engagement.
The necessity Of doing what you prom
Use to do. II you say to friend, 81
will meet you at such and such place,
at such and such a time" you should
be there. You should be there Just as
certainly as you would be down at the
ships dock on time when IT is about to
sail for Europe, and when you have
purchased 500 berth for the pas
sage. IL you cannot be on time, ac-
cording to promise, for your engage
ment. then you should notify the per-
son with whom you have the appoint
ment. But the great trouble with
many people Is that they have no NOR
al sense of the duty of keeping an en-
gagemept unless they wish 10 do so.
They VIII promise anything. like dis
honest politician Just before an cleo
ton, and like the same dishonest poll
dcian after election they will forget
all their promises If il suits their con-
venience TO forget. The result is that
the mans character and religious life
will be eaten out by these little fail
ures and sins, just as one little worm
can tunnel its>way into the heart of n
great oak and eat out it's heart until at
last the monarch of the forest will
have It's backbone snapped by the on
rushing winds.
Dcspfse Not Small Things.
1t is the foxes. the little foxes. that
most often spoil the tender vines. not
the elephantine monsters. Once In
awhile. however. the heavy foot of an
eastern camel might crush them or
the paw of leopard might rip them
apart when the midnight prowler.
chased by the dogs is rushing away
after having robbed the shecpfold. but
this is rare occurrence. 1t is the lit
tie faults. the careless and thoughtless
negligences. which do the most frequent
mischief. 1t Is the little weeds that
destroy the gardens and with their
bayonet thrusts OF thorns stab the
flowers TO death. not the mighty
growths OF the cedars OF Lebanon or
of the weeping willows. So il is in
evitably the small sins. the despised
sins, the ignored sins, the sins OF in
significance, that most frequently over
throw human character, not the behe-
moth sins, not the monstrous sins, not
the sins catalogued In the criminal
codes OF man and OF nations.
Therefore, D man. beg and plead
with you that you take Christ into the
smallest details OF your life. Let the
Christ be with you as much in the
paying back of n borrowed five cent
piece as In the purchase OF store. Let
him be with you as much in the clean
Illness OF your wardrobe as In the clean
illness OF your tongue. Let him help
you In the Christian courtesies which
you extend to your neighbors as well
as In the Christian celebrations you
ofer In your church. May you night
and morning always be able to make
this prayer: 20 God, help me I'm the lit
tie temptations, and then know that
thou wilt make me able to bear the
greater trials" With such a lesson as
this for consideration, who Is there
who will dare Ito despise the day of
small thingsT"
Copyright. 1905. by Louis Klopsch.l