Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-12-16

here that public school teacher has
her unconscious Influence over her fcl
low teachers ms well as over the
scholars In her own class room.
n Christian man always. to more OF
less extent. makes or mars the success
OF men or his own ilk When I wan.
der among the Railways of history 1 do
not tind there the picture OF n great
soldier which differs In every way
from all other soldiers OF his day and
generation. Go not Gni in a country
history great lawyer or poet as n
mountain peak lifting itself solitary
and alone from-the center of n vas,
| ieNe' prairie But like the stars i'm the
heavens. | End that one great lawyer
Is always in jrNtaposition with other
great lawyers. One great physician
means other great physicians. Great
poets, authors. statesmen. reformers
scientists. move through the armament
OF the historical Leavcn In galaxies. in
considerations. like the stars i'm clus-
| tiers. When | mention the names of
scientists | find that there is n scien-
| tlnc Ileiades. with Darwin. n Tyn-
Dali. Huxley ana Herbert SDencer
all existing at the same time. When I
mention the name of William Shake
| speare ! find that n Bacon. n Raleigh
Ben Jonson. a Sydney. n Spenser. n
beaumont, Il Fletcher, A Lon"ueyille
all belong TO the Elizabcthan era.
When | mention the greatest warrior
| or the ages. Napoleon, 1 find that the
french emperor was maker of great
marshais as well as great armies.
ma nanking the Little CORPORAL" n
Ney, Bertrand, Mcdonald n
Lannes, Marmont. Napoleon Bona
parte also was the mighty obstacle
which developed Wellington and a
Blucher Great soldiers have an I'M
conscious influence over men of their
Tx as well as over those who have not
brains Of the same caliber as them
| selves.
Henry Ward Beecber's Influence.
So much did Henry Ward Beecher
influence the pulpit of his day that
there were hundreds of ministers who
used to copy his dress as well as the
intonations of his voice. They lot
their hair grow long, as he did. even
as many of the poets Of Lord Byron's
time used to initiate the limp of BY
ron's clubfoot- 4 mans influence al
ways to more or less extent reaches
out to men Of his ilk. When a minis,
Ter lifts his own church he helms lift
every other Christian church i'm his
| city When a noble lawyer is true 70
his clients he has an unconscious Chris
tian influence over his brother lawyers
| at the bar. The unconscious influence
of n physician molds other physicians.
| The influence OF wives and mothers
| spiritually blesses the pnr-rits of other
homes rs well as the lives of their own
children
The unconscious influence of a Chris.
tan man over the people OF his day and
generation is very great. no matter how
humble the position he occupies. But
| IL the unconscious influence of n living
man upon his contemporaries is great
Infinitely greater must that influence
be upon thousands and tens of thou.
sands Of men and women and children
after he Is dead. How multiplied must
be the echoing sounds of his voice long
after the speakers lips themselves have
been sealed in the unbroken silence of
the tomb,
We say that John Harvard's life was
n mighty life FOR good. From the little
seed he planted has grown up the
| greatest university in all America. He
was poor clergyman who died early
| in life, but the few hundred dollars
and the library OF 800 books he left TO
endow Harvard college have had n glo
rious harvest. Thousands upon thou.
sands of homes have been blessed by
that college gift long after John Har.
| ward passed away. The history of John
Harvard will yet be the history of CIV.
cry true Christian man. AS the shad
ows Of the hills grow longer and longer
toward the east when the sun sinks
into the west. so the Christian mans
| unconscious influence will grow great.
er and greater even after his body rests
in the tomb. 1t will grow greater and
| greater because il will reach not his
children alone. but his children's chill.
dren even unto the tenth generation
and even generations afterward
An Indian Legend.
There is beautiful Indian legend
about the "land OF the shadows"
which relates how the living are influ.
encing those who struggle and fight on
this side OF the beautiful river of
DEATH" 4 young warrior was about to
be married. but just before the wed.
ding his bride TO be passed away. HeI
lover was almost insane with grief.
He would not be and could not be
comforted. AS he was grieving his
| life slowly away he heard by the camp.
fires OF his tribe that there was n path
leading to the south which IL followed
would bring traveller to tha land OF
the departed spirits. No sooner did
| the young chief hear this than he de.
| cided TO go and seek his lost love- He
| journeyed on and on until he left the
snow covered mountains OF the far
north He journeyed on and on until
| all the trees of the forests were full
of singing birds and all the fields Were
| fragrant with the incense swinging
flowers
In that southland instead OF the elk
and the moose and the grizzly bear the
fawns came out or the woods TO lick
| his hand. lie journeycd on and ON un-
til he came TO great gulf OF still wa
| tiers. There he found n shining white
canoe, into which he stepped and be-
gan TO paddle out into the deep. No
sooner did his canoe leave the shore
than another white canoe just like his
own came alongside, in which was she
whom he loved They padded on and
on toward n beautiful island, where
there was palace in which dwelt his
departed bride. AS he came toward
the island and was about to land an
angel stepped forth and said: NAY.
nay! Thou cahst not come as yet. She
whom thou lowest will here wait for
thee Go back to the land from whence
thou earnest There thou must live and
rule over thy people for many years.
Live as she would have thee live; then
when thy work is done. and well done
thou mayest return 10 thy loved one
who here will walt for thee" AS i'm tho
Indian legend, so must il be with us
If we are bereaved. as was the Indian