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

no gospel significance IN the lives or
your Christian parents.
Naasson Like Most OF Us.
NaasSon's matured manhood teaches
that God provides for the humblest OF
his children as well as for the greatest.
Who was Naasson? He had n father
named Aminadab and a son, Salmon.
That is all we know Of his direct con-
nections. They were evidently as hum
bic as himself. There was certainly
nothing extraordinary about this man.
History makes no mention of Naasson
leading great army. Among all the
leaders of the Bible there Is no record
ed speech spoken by his lips. Whether
he was in physique tall or short. wheth-
er he had light hair or dark, blue eyes
or black. a broad or narrow chest,
must be all left to conjecture. But this
fact Is certain-whether he was the
humblest individual who ever lived or
no, God took care of him. God fed him,
God clothed him, God saw him grow UP
to full manhood. Then when his work,
however small, was done God took him
to himself. In other words, Naasson
was like the most of US, who are with
out any particular talent or power OF
leadership. Yet God is caring and feed
ing and clothing and housing us, just
as he feeds the bird of the air and
clothes the lily Of the field
O obscure man. In the humble walks
OF life, do you not realize that I'm spite
of yourself you are preaching wherever
you so the protecting care of the love
of God? 1t is not surprising that a wiz
ard of inventions like Thomas A. Edi-
son can earn his daily bread; il is not
surprising that gigantic intellect like
that OF Andrew Carnegie can accumu-
late a fortune when he can crowd the
Monongahela and Allegheny rivers
with his works, the long tunnels every
where at night shooting out their
flames until it makes the surrounding
regions of Pittsburg look, as Rev. DR.
John Hall once expressed ii, "as the In
fernal regions with the lid off," 1t is
not surprising that a lawyer like Scar
gent S. Prentiss should have large
income when by his eloquence he could
charm not only the masses, but also
such leaders Of this country as Rufus
Choate, who turned TO Daniel Webster
at the conclusion of one of his orations
and said, did you ever hear a speech
more eloquent than thnt2" Never
answered Webster, except from Scar
gent S. Prentiss himself" But that
q man of ordinary intellect and every
day abilities can at all times earn a
livelihood for himself and wife and
children is surely to be explained by a
revelation of the divine goodness. Why
some people have not hardly enough
brains to tell their right hand from
their left. yet God cares for them, God
feeds them and clothes them, just as
he cares for that poor widow who is
left financially stranded with q large
number of children strapped to her
back. He feeds and clothes them just
as he cared for Naasson or as be has
been caring for us
Where Plain Lives Lead.
But i find another very suggestive
fact about Naasson's genealogical his
tory. Ii led to mightier names. AS
Joseph Parker once graphically and
tersely expressed il: You should re
member that a long, fiat road may be
leading up TO great mountain. There
are some very plnin and uninterestine
miles out of Geneva, yet every one OF
them brings you nearer TO Mont Blanc
So you do not know TO what high hill
your life may be quietly leading up
Even If you yourself are nobody, your
son may be n man OF renown or his
son may be valiant and mighty man
Methuselah was the father OF Lamech
and Lamech was the father OF Noah
Yes, yes, that Is the thought TO which
l point Naasson may have been a
seeming nobody. His son, Salmon, was
a seeming nobody. But Salmon was
the father OF the mighty Boaz, who
was the husband of beautiful Ruth
who was the grandmother of the
mighty David. who was the ancestor
OF Jesus Christ So. . humble woman
you may think your domestic life does
not amount TO much. You may say It
consists mostly in sewing dresses for
the babies and cooking meals and pet
ting the little ones when they are hurt
and reading the Bible to the children
before they 20 to bed. But 1 want to
tell you TINT In the light of this his
tory of Naasson you have a mighty.
tremendous work upon your hands.
You may be the mother or the grand
mother OF boy who will yet proclaim
the gospel OF Jesus TO the furthermost
parts OF the world. You may be rock
Ing in your daughters cradle a future
FRANCES L. Willard. Florence Night
ingale or Frances Ridley Havergal.
Am 1 going beyond my right In too
much emphasizing the infinite influence
OF humble home? Were not nearly
all our great men born in a cottage IN
stead of palace? Have not nearly
all our great men laid at their humble
mothers feet the credit for all their
success? What said Thomas III. Ben
ton, the great Missouri senator. when
he was delivering a speech In New
York city? my mother asked me new
er TO use tobacco, and / have never
1t from that day to this. She
asked me never 10 gamble, and never
learned to gamble. When was seven
years or age, she asked me never to
drink. / made a resolution of total abb
stinence. That resolution have never
broken. And now, whatever honor I
may have gained, l owe 1t all to nv
mother" What says John Adams?
"All that l am owe TO my mother"
What says James a. Garfield? He says
but his actions speak louder
than words. We see that his first act
after having taken the oath of office as
president of the United States was to
lean over and with smiling lips, under
loving eyes, kiss the withered lips OF
his old mother. When Garrett A. Ho-
bart was about TO take the oath of Of
ice as president elect In the senate
chamber, l saw President McKinley's
eyes wander up TO the gallery wherein
sat the one who gave him birth. and
he bowed his reverence and love to his
old mother.
The Mothers Heart.
Henry Ward Beecher once said that
the mothers heart is the childs school
ROOM" 1t Is more than that; it is the
very heart OF the child's mental, moral
ana spiritual existence. All, woman,
called mother; ah, man, called father.