Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-03-20


complete building the white. soft FIN
gers of the great architect who there
lies buried. 1 see the humble laborers
digging the foundations; see the hum
BILE masons rearing the walls; see the
humble carpenters lifting the scaffold-
ings; see the crowd collect about the
poor bruised. mangled body OF the
workman whose foot misstepped and
whose brains were dashed out upon the
ground beneath when he fell from that
high scaffolding. Aye, I see Naassons
humble Mansions. everywhere In life,
They have bullded the pyramids: they
have lifted the dome of ST Peters and
the Tai Mahal; they have worked on
the farms and swept out the stores and
died I'm the soldiers trench. 1t is the
accumulation of the work of the OBJ
scure individuals in this world which
has made this old earth what IL Is:
therefore, my brother, do not say that
your life'S work is useless because ii Is
inconsplcuous.
The Humble workers.
Well did the manager of the celebra.
ton which took place i'm New York
y
the Inauguration of George Washing.
ton as president of the United States
appreciate the value of the humble
workers in the humble walks of peace
full avocations. The first day, for II
was a three days celebration, they
gave up TO the navy, or, rather, to the
scene when Washington crossed New
York harbor and landed at Castle Gar
den Then the bay was crowded with
boats In gala day attire. Then the
mighty white squadron. accompanied
by representatives OF foreign navies
passed up the Hudson river in review
AS the death dealing, floating arma.
ments OF destruction passed Governors
island, where I sat, the gunners would
shove the noses of their war hounds
out of the portfolios. There would be
q breath of smoke, then a growl, a
roar and the white ships would disap-
pear behind the white clouds Of smoke
The second day Of the celebration was
given up to the army. Hour after hour
up Broadway and Fifth avenue rode
the different governors at the head OF
their state troops. Cheer after cheer
There were the regulars with such men
as Schofield and the one armed Howard
ut their head who followed Sherman to
the sea. Then came the war veterans
Side by side with the blues rode or
walked the men who once wore the
gray brothers now, with no rivalries
save with the rivalries OF trying to
Guido each other In kindness and broth
erly courtesy.
The Strength of the Nation.
But the third day OF the celebration
was the greatest to me of all. That
was the time of the industrial parade.
What is the navy for7 Merely to pro-
tect our merchants and artisans at
the seaboard. What is the army for?
Merely to protect the homes of our
mechanics and the factories and the
little stores. The strength of our ma
ton is not I'm her mailed hand Of war,
but In her horny hand of toll. Yes, on
that day we saw Mansions everywhere.
We heard the hammer upon the anvil.
We saw the baker cooking at the
stove. We saw the farmers plow and
the woodman's AK and the typewriter's
machine and the printing press. We
heard in the fiotillas which moved up
Broadway and Fifth avenue the ma
tional song of a prosperous home in
dustry. And these fiotillas were not
manned by the royal trappings of for
eign ambassadors. They were filed
with the artisans and the laborers and
the mechanics and employees of foun-
dries and factories in the common. ev-
eryday working clothes OF men and
women living upon small salaries. All,
my brother, do not complain because
you are a humble Naasson. The pros
perity OF this country rests upon the
workingman's cottage far more than
upon the capitalists mansion or the
presidents White House.
But coming near to the earthly end
OF Naasson's life / find by this genoa
logical account that God was keeping
Just as much account OF his life as he
did that OF Abraham or Jacob or Boaz
or David. Naasson in his humble ca
pacity and doing his life's work well
was just as dear 10 his Divine Master
rs IL he had occupied Solomons
throne or had built a Noah's ark. In
deed, sometimes think If God has
any favorites they are to be found
among the humble workers. Abraham
Lincoln thought so. He once said,
God must love the common people
better than the aristocrats because he
made so many OF them" And Christs
actions when upon earth seemed to
prove this theory. We find that lie as
ISOLATED for the most part with the
poor and the humble. The greatest
earthly joy Jesus seemed to have had
In a human sense after a days preach
ing In Jerusalem was to be able 10
leave the capital and climb up the hill
upon which Is situated the little village
OF Bethany and there lodge with his
few friends In the home OF Mary and
Martha and Lazarus. Thus, my broth
er, In your humble capacity, In your
obscure home, remember that Christ
is with you. Remember that he Is
watching you. Also remember that II
you do your work with his help to the
best Of your ability he will speak to
you the same words which Sir Walter
Scott chiseled upon the tombstone of
a domestic who had served him long
and was buried in his family plot,
well done, good and faithful serv-
ant"
If God rewarded Naasson, he reward
ed him not for being willing to serve
him in place for which he was not
fitted, but for faithfully doing the work
which was given him to do In an incon-
spicuous position. A short time ago
President Roosevelt nominated an of
ficer to the position OF brigadier gen.
eral not because he had CALAMITY led
charge In Cuba during the Spanish
American war, but because he was
willing when asked to do so to. stay at
home and faithfully do the organizing
work of the day. 1t is not always the
man who receives the applause of men
who will ultimately receive the ap-
p!ause of heaven; therefore let us dc
the humble work of life faithfully and
earnestly which God has given to us
to do Do ii even though we may be a
Naasson; do ii even though men may
1ndVQ that u-nrk n hxa