Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-11-06

your sorrow and your hard lot, but
let me congratulate you. too. on the
opportunity God has placed within
your reach OF honorably and heroically
performing a double duty. In pater-
nal as well ms in a maternal scnse you
are accomplishing much for the tenn
poral and the eternal lives Of your chill
dren.
The consecrated widow Is rich In the
kindnesses and sympathies which are
shown to her 10y her friends and neigh
bors; rich because the chalice OF sor-
row which is placed nt the lip is not
entirely filed with acidities and bitter
nesses and -unsavory nux vomicas. but
IL is also saccharined and nectared with
the helpful sympathy OF her true
friends which mingles In her cup Of
woe.
The World In Kind.
1t Is amazing how many kindnesses
there are in this world If only one
stops to catalogue them. You can see
those kindnesses manifested every
where. A few years ago man was
caught In the crowd that surged into
the cars Of the Brooklyn bridge He
was damned this way and that His
hat was battered and crushed The
more he vehemently denounced the peo-
pie as savages the more he was bus-
tied and pushed along. When he was
at last seated and was still complaining
gentleman next to him turned and
said: MY friend. I am afraid that you
have got into the condition OF only
looking upon the bad side of human ma
ture. Now. l have schooled myself to
look upon the good side, and to help
me in my task OF looking upon the
bright side every day carry a note
book and jot down every good thing I
see people do to other people. For in
stance. today on my way to the bridge
my hat blew OF. chased IT. but be-
fore 1 could get II three other men
whom l bad never seen before ran
after that hat One of them caught IL
and brought II back to me. Now, that
action was certainly unselfish on bis
part. and yet you can see the same I'M
selfish act performed on any windy
day. --- :
AS l was crossing City Hall park"
he continued, "a woman In front OF me
lost her glove. Two newsboys saw Il
and ran to get II for her. That certain
ly was unselfsh. On my way down
Broadway truckman's horse fell. I'm
mediatcly the drivers OF three other
trucks stopped their horses 10 help the
man who was In difficulty. That also
was unselfish. These are but little
things. but everywhere you will see
men and women doing just such kind
things to their neighbors. When this
car stops, you Will see four or FIVE gen.
uemen take their papers and give them
TO the newsboys for them 10 sell them
over again. All these facts certainly
show that the human race is not n
collection OF savages. My friend. YOU
had better look upon the bright side OF
human nature and not dwell too much
upon the dark side"
The widows Riches
The sermon which the Christian gen.
tleman preached in the cable car of the
Brooklyn bridge Is certainly true. Ev-
erywhere one can see many kindnessee
manifested toward those who are I'm
distress, IL those people I'm distress are
worthy OF human kindness. And So
widow, though you mny have had your
bumps and knocks, as that indignant
passenger had who was trying to get
into the train, though you may have
had iniustices practiced upon you-for
thieves and murderers from time i'm
memorial have always felt that widows
and orphans were their legitimate prey
you have also had many kindnesses
shown you and yours. In old English
folklore there was supposed TO be I'm
Alderley Edge great cavern. And in
this cavern was concealed, said the
legend. nine hundred and ninety and
nine borsemen. equipped and ready 10
come forth and fight for any leader
who would blow for them the right
bugie call. No sooner did your husband
die and the cemetery bell had tolled the
knell when his body was carried to its
last resting place than that bell seem
ed TO call forth hundreds OF helpers TO
your side from recesses as dark as the
caverns OF Aiderney Edge. Every true
and faithful widow always gathers
around her true and faithful friends.
The consecrated widow Is rich In the
heights and depths and intensities of
the love she bears toward those who
are dependent upon her. 1t Is one of
the inevitable laws OF this world that
we generally value an article Just In
proportion TO what IL Is worth to us.
III IL costs nothing, we care for Il but
little. IL II costs much. we value IL
much. l enter your home. You show
me the results OF your travels. You
say: This Ia a rug bought in Damas- |
Gus. Here Is beautiful piece Of ivory
l found In India. Here is boomerang
OF Australia. Yonder Is a trinket |
picked up In Pompeii. But this picture
Is my treasure. 1t was painted by q |
Spanish master and was placed upon |
the walls OF a Mexican cathedral. One |
night that picture was cut out OF its |
frame and carried away, as Dolly Mad
ison ordered George Washington's pic
ture to be cut out Of it's frame when
the English invaded the national cap
ital In 1872. That picture must be
worth at least 10000 I myself paid
$4,000 for It. Yes. value that picture |
above all my other possessions. It cost
me SO much money"
Self Sacrifices.
But though the value Of some articles
may be judged by the criterion of sil-
yer and gold othors are sometimes
judged by the higher standard of flesh
and blood. II In order to save your
country you haG 10 sacrifice upon the
Held OF battle an arm or a leg or an
eye. would you not on account of that
sacrifice love your country more than
II. like John Jacob Astor, you merely
made to 1t the gift Of an artillery bat
terry. or. like old Cornelius Vanderbilt
you fitted out for 1t man-of-war? II
In order to save yeur child, who had
been gripped with the poisonous bite
or dangerous serpent you had placed
your mouth against the bleeding lips
OF the wound and sucked that po,sou
into your own system. would you not
love that child more for whom You
were willing to imperI your life than
II you had given to her mere offcrsn0
of silver and gold? Yes. gee. OF course
You would. The law Is universal. The
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