The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1903-10-02

HiRAAaAN AAAA AAAI W0Ah Altn " AAWNN 10
door who suffers? Is it not the poor
widow and orphan, the old man who
has trustfully placed I'm the bank the
savings Of a lifetime so that he can
have something in his old age and
money enough to buy him a casket and
a grave when he is deadl What hap
pens when a human craft founders and
sinks into the great sea Of sinl Does
II not nearly always destroy many hui
man lives which are dependent upon
its existence2 What became Of nearly
all the ships crews and passengers
which were sunken at sea? What be-
came Of those who set sail from
Charleston. S. c., i'm the boat which
carried the beautiful daughter Of
Aaron Burr, who was never heard Of
again? Those ships not only went
down. but they took most OF their pas
sengcrs and crews with them. Oh, |
know lifeboats and life preseryers are
provided by law on every boat TO
guard against accidents. But. as
rule, they do but little good BY the
time the hurricane has completed its
work the lifeboats are spllntered, and
by the time the tornado Of sin has
wrecked a human craft IL not only de-
stroys a father and husband, but also
all those whose eXistences are depend
ent upon his life One Of the bravest
scenes ever witnessed was that in Sa-
moa harbor, when a few years ago the
famous cyclone destroyed many lives.
When an English man-Of-war was able
TO get mp enough steam TO head out TO
sea, the American sailors Of a sinking
ship began to cheer their English
cousins. 1t was q brave cheer When
those sailors cheered they knew they
were on a sinking ship, and therefore
most Of them would be drowned. Let
us, as human crafts, beware how we
allow ourselves to sink into the sea Of
sin and destroy those loved ones who
are standing upon our upper decks.
The human vessels should be willing
to stop and help those sister crafts
which are lifting their signals Of dis
tress. Why? Because distress and
need give a man an inalienable claim
on the help Of his brother Nowhere
is that claim recognized so surely and
so promptly as on the high seas. A
sailor on the ocean will never turn a
deaf ear TO a booming gun or shut his
eyes to an inverted flag or TO a white
handkerchief or cloth 1utterlng over a
raft or a derelict.
Oh, my dear friends, why is not hui
man being upon the land ready TO an
swer signals Of distress raised by his
fallen brethren, as the sailors upon the
sea try TO help those who are in dis
tress? DO not the whirlwinds Of disas-
ter Shrek and howl and sweep up the
streets Of a great city as well as among
the archipelagoes Of a Mediterranean
BE not afraid, my brother, that you
will never have an opportunity to save
men and women upon the land who are
flying signals Of distress. If you will
once consecrate your lives TO his sery-
ice God will reveal them to YOU the
same as be led old Captain Pendleton,
many years ago. to save the passengers
and the crew Of q sinking ship. The
old captain was a neighbor OF my IA
theirs and a friend of my childhood.
He had upon his wall picture COM
memoratlve Of this rescue. He again
and again told me this wonderful
story. He had been TO the far east.
After a voyage Of many months he was
nearing New York harbOr He was
only two or three days from home.
Suddenly, as he lay in his cabin, n
strong and even imperative command
came TO him from on high. He seemed
TO hear a divine voice saying: go back.
Go back! About ship and 60 back.'
He was not in the least man given to
vagaries. He shook himself and went
upon the deck. The stars were shining
above. The sea was calm. The wind
was brisk, and the sails were well fill
ed. He went down to his cabin and
again tried to sleep. Again came that
strange command: "Go back! Go back
About ship and 90 back" So forcibly
did this second command come that
CAPTAIN Pendleton gave the command
10 about ship. The mates and sailors
thought he was going crazy. He SAID
nothing. but sailed on for two hours /
think. when. 10, a sinking ship hove IN
I sight. and he was able TO rescue many
lives. That picture upon the wall was
presented TO the old captain by the res
cued men and women. So God, II we
consecrate our lives TO his service, Will
lead us in strange and devious ways
He will so guide us that we may be
able TO save immortal men and women
from sin upon the land as old Captain
Pendleton rescued those men and wo.
men from a watery grave.
The human vessel, in order to reaeh
the harbor FOR which Christ intended
him 70 SAIL must be able in one sense
10 make the voyage Of life alone.
Similarly in reference to its solitarl
ness. When we start out we have
nlenty of friends. But If we deter
mine TO do right, If we are set In oul
purpose to follow the course which
Christ has laid out for us, we shall
find that our friends will often leave
us. one by one. We shall be as much
alone as for many years christopher
Columbus was alone in his attempts tC
prove the clrcumnavigatlon OF th'
globe: as William Harvey, the great
London physician, Psychologist and
anatomist, was alone in believing II
the circulation Of the blood as George
Whitefeld was alone, when, as pul
piteer. he was looked upon as a mounte
bank and an ecclesiastical clown; as
Paul was alone when he had to fee FOL
his life over the Damascus wall, anC
as Jesus Christ was alone when
scoffed and spit upon, he was hurried
up the rocky heights where he was t'
be crucified between two thieves.
Similarly in reference TO the heac