Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-01-15

great statesman. once placed his hand
upon his sons head and said. This
child Is greater than any one In Greece.
for the Athenians command the Greeks.
I command the Athenlans. bis mother
commands me. and he commands bis
mother" We. In Christs name, csu
place our hands upon the children. In
Sunday school work we can say. The
children will be greater than all. be-
cause the children of today will be the
men and the women OF tomorrow" IL
you can save the cradles and the nurs-
cries for Christ. you can save the
world for Christ ! plead and beg OF
you. Christian disciples. to expend a
great part OF your gospel energies In
working among the children.
Another gate stands wide open for
practical gospel usefulness. This gate
leads into a field aglow with rfpened
human grain. ready To be garnered. II
Is crowded with young people. But,
though crowded with the young men
and maidens. yet each passenger train
coming into our large cities Is empty
ing part OF Its load into this field as
the freight trains daily disgorge their
cattle and horses aud sheep iuto the
Chicago stock yards. and yet there Is
always room for more Young men
and maidens. like children. seem 10 be
everywhere. We crowd against them
In the electric cars. we bump up
against them on street corners. we see
them through the swinging doors Of
saloon and billiard halls, Who will
help save them7 Church member, Is
not Christ calling you TO go and labor
among the stalwart pines OF youth as
well as to use the gospel ak among
the gnarled and worm eaten branches
OF sinful old age?
The Chrfssfsn's Deity.
How Is the Christian 90 go after the
young peoplef Simply enough He is
to go after them with the same vigor
as the agents OF evil 60 after their
prey. Here. for instance, Is q young
man who comes into n large city. He
has no friends. Through an old &C
Quaintance OF his father he gets posi-
ton In your store. he has small
bedroom In city boarding house. How
Is the Christian disciple to greet him
Is he TO merely pass Good morning
or Is he to 60 TO that young man and
open conversation something like
this: Good morningi Are you q strsn-
ger In the cityf Are you from Chris
tan homer OF course yeu have no
church connections n yet VIII you
not come down to our church next Sun
day morning? We have our Christian
Endeavor social next Thursday night
wish that / could introduce you 10
some OF our young people. II Is very
easy to drift among bad associates IN q
large town like this. ] want you 70 get
among the good people. We have some
fine young folks up at our church.
know that you will get a warm well
come. Perhaps you do not know the
city we'll enough to ind your way.
Come with me to supper. and We will
60 together. or will call at your room
for you" How many young men.
strangers IN a large city. are there who
would refuse an invitation 10 come
among Christian people n tbus accost-
ed? How many rooms dedicated By
the church for the services Of the Chris
tan Endeavor society. Epworth league
or Brotherhood or Andrew and Philip
would be empty. or practically empty.
IL the Christian members OF the church
would so out In plain. practical way
and give such warm hearted. loving
salutation to the young folks as I have
indicatedf The reason the young peo.
pie do not come into church fellowship
Is because they are not personally In
vited to come. This invitation duty
rests with the new convert as well "a
with the old.
But" some aged church member
says, 'this invitation duty to the young
folks may apply 20 others, but not to
me. am not fitted for work among
the young. My hair is gray. Ny nerves
are not steady. have postponed com
ing to Christ until l have passed my
twoscore and ten 1t needs a young
person TO work for Christ among the
young" No, my aged, gray haired
friend; you are wrong. There is only
one person more fitted to work among
the young than n Christian young man
or young woman. That person IL q
Christian gray haired man or woma n
who Is still blessed with a young heart
Though j may live to be sixty. seventy
or even eighty years OF age. never ex.
pect to live long enough TO outgrow my
rights to be an active member OF O
Young Peoples Christian association.
Az pastor I always expect 70 be In
such close touch with the young folks
OF my church that / can sing such a
song as did the sweet poet OF old:
And when. with envy. time transported
Shall think 20 rob US OF our Joys,
You'll In your girls again be courted,
And I'll go wooinE with my boys.
Yes; the young people always sughi
to be "our boys and "our girls" In
Christ. Aged Christian friend. great
opportunities OF gospel usefulness are
open TO you among the young folks II
you will only go 10 them In the spirit OF
loving consecratien. They are open II
you Will only go to the young folks In Q
plain. practical way In the anne Of
Jesus Christ.
Missionary wsrk.
Another glorious neld or Christian
usefulness IL to be found In missionary
work. What do I mem by that? Chris
tian labor among the cannibals Of the
south seas? Among the fur ROBBED Eski.
mos. in their igloos. Of the icy north
Among the tattooed Maoris OF New
Zealand and the half civiIixed natives
Of the orientf Oh. yes. They are all
included Ia that term. "mtssionary
work" The divine command. go ye
therefore. and teach all nations, hap.
tizing them In the name OF the Pa
ther and the Son and the Holy Ghost"
has worldwide Significance. One of
the nrst duties Of Christian IL 20
work for the foreign missionary socie-
~ Of his church. By money donations
by neediswork and by pledges you
should REINFORCE our Christian mis-.
sionaries labosing in foreign fields
You cannot have g worlds Saviour
unless you feel that the black man OF
Borneo and the yellow man OF China
and the Bengali OF India are your
brothers-brothers In Christ
But In reference to missionary work