Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-06-12

VIC NtllSbSS Ca OAe tnflSA4GN iA.RlSlIF
and the opportunities &c Offers TO the
graduates OF oar learned institutions
rs the ideal life OF consecrated useful
ness. The text is Psalms XVI, @. "The
lines are fallen unto me in pleasant
places"
Different occupations often Imply diff
ferent enjoyments. All varieties of
flowers Go not thrive equally well I'M
der the same coiored glasses. The
nmusements which would be exhilara-
ton and restsul relaxation for the ply
stefan may be drudgery aud irritation
for the merchant. The owls and the
bats turn their days into nights and
their nights into days. The eagles and
the hawks do not circle about in the
heavens unless they can heat their
feathers by the flaming fires of the sun.
The inhabitant OF one home may be
deaf and blind 10 the pleasures sur
rounding another fireside.
In the backwooGs best learned this
interesting lesson. With my family.
was spending q summer vacation in
the country. In rowboat. far from
railroad station, l was tracing the
hendings and windings OF little river.
Suddenly, at turn OF the stream, we
came to a small house Nesting under
the protecting branches of the tall
trees. / found there a woman living
practically alone. She had no children.
All day long her husband was Of to
work said TO her: This is an awful
place to livel You must be lonely and
heartsick with no companionship."
'Oh. no." sire answered. ~ am never
alone. 1 have hundreds OF friends who
call and talk TO me every day. DO you
see that little nest Just at the end of
my porch? Well. last spring the mother
bird came here as bride and asked
me II she could build her home there,
and 1 said Yes Then she talked and
Chartered on all the time she was
building it. She brought me her hus-
band and introduced me to him. She
told me when the eggs Were laid and
when the eggs were Matched. She IS
one of my friends. Then just over
there under that bank a muskrat has
his home and is raising his family.
He comes out every little while and
blinks ut me and talks in the sign Ian
guage. Then there are my friends the
wild flowers and my friends the chick
ems and my friends the fish. which /
feed at the dock. Then the river It
self is n friend Of Eine. 1t has Ian
Guage of murmurs and gurgles TO
which / listen, and when L get tired
and weary I am soothed by It's sym
patty. Oh, no; do not pity me for be-
ing alone. My entoyments are per-
h,,%
are many, very many. / would not
exchange my life Tor that of any one
know" Happy woman that. Happy
because she was in the place where
she could use the qualities with which
God had endowed her. Happy because.
like bee, she was able TO find every
flower filed with nectar for her lips.
Happy because every tree branch was
90 her a choir loft In which II master
soloist was singing the sweetest song
In oil his repertoire.
The Esppiest life.
Well. my friends. as needlessly
piticd that poor woman living IN the
backwoods there are hundreds and
thousands OF people commiseraung the
supposed unhappy lot OF gospel min
lister These sympathetic conmisera-
lions have become widespread. There
are hundreds-aye, thousands-ofy young
mon who might otherwise have volun-
fccred for service In the Christian pull
pits, have been deferred on account
OF them, from consecrating themselves
to the gospel ministry. Now want 10
speak specially this morning TO the
young men who arc graduating from
our colleges and schools. and IL they
have adopted this view OF the Chris
tan ministry being n joyless, gloomy
life want to set them right. make
a direct appeal 10 the young men 20
enter the gospel pulpit, because IL of
fers the happiest, the most blessed and
the most eNhilarating life on earth.
am going to make THIS plea with au-
tobiograph!cal authority by showing
the klndnesses and the sympathies
which have surrounded me from the
day OF my ordination down to the pres
cnt time.
The first objection generally made TO
the occupation OF minister Is that Il
is not money making profession.
That Is true. but It does offer some
thing far better in the Joy of noble con-
secration. We have all at some time
proved the truth OF Christ's words.
that 1t is better to give than to re-
ceive. When the bower bird of love
builded her home for the first time in
our hearts we Immediately tried TO man
ffest that love In many different ways.
We laid at the feet or our ladylove our
gifts. as the wise men from the east
came to the Manager with their presents
OF gold and frankincense and myrrh.
We manifested our love in the little at
tentions We daily bestowed and In the
letters we would write. AS time passed
on we again manifested that love in
the engagement ring which we trem-
bifnRly placed upon the finger Of our
future bride. Has any money we have
aimee earned ever given us such Joy as
that which came in the happiness of
her smile, In the welcome OF her voice
and In the knowledge that we were
winning her affections in return for
our affections? My young friend, did
you ever stop to consider that the
christian minister has such joys as
tnese. which make the acquisition of
a fortune appear in comparison low
and sordid? Apart from the rewards
that God gives TO the faithful minister,
there Is joy In the self surrender, in
tho cpnsecration of our whole lives to
Christ, who laid down his life for US.
Not Measured by Money.
The true artist has deep sense of the
inspiring exhilaration when he sarren.
ders his life to his art. Only the other
day young man left my Chicago
church TO go to Europe and study in the
foreign art schools. l said to him: ''Why
do you follow this profession? In all
probability you Will only exc out of it
a bare living. You viii have years and
years OF financial struggle ahead" IT
know It," he answered, with Il smiling
face, "but though ! may not make
much money ] shall have a higher re-
ward than money. would be willing
to live all my life in poverty if only
could continue to know the joy OF trying
TO intprDraf fhn hfSsbar y,,aScooro % @l,a