Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-11-11


Every year IN order to make the. fruit
trees and vineyards bear well the
farmer with his pruning hook has 10
go among them and ruthlessly destroy
hundreds OF buds I'm order that the
other buds may have enough nouriSh-
ment TO grow and do their work. In
order that the human race may be
strong and physically well God has TO
keep his pruning hook busy or else
this old earth would soon be over
populated. ard there would not be
room for man 10 live by the side of
man. $50 great are the possibilities
OF growth" said the old sage, Benja-
min Franklin, that the productiveness
OF the vegetable and animal life is in
conceivable end almost without limit"
BY the Malthusian doctrine we learn
that il death did not destroy one gen
Grafton almost as soon as IL was born
the world would soon be an impossible
place for human residence. BY that
Malthusian doctrine IL there was no
death the human race would double
itself every twenty-five years. In the
United States there are today over
100000 people. In twenty-five years
from now there would be 10000. 600
In fifty years from now there would
be 2S0O0.O00 people. In seventy-five
years from now there would be $50.
100000 and In hundred years 1,12O-
OO0OcO people. Thus the race would
keep on doubling anG redoubling until
at last man as a cannibal might he
driven to feed upon pan. as the earth,
with all its productiveness. would be
incapable ultimately OF supporting
such multitudes.
Span OF Life II Short.
The span OF human life on earth is
very short. yet Ike that of the leaf
God does not permit mans life, short
us II Is, to end until his work has been
fully accomplished. The Bible tells
US that mans earthly days are as
grass, as the flower of the field, SO he
fourlsheth. For the wind passeth over
IT and 1t is gone and the place thereof
shall know 1t no more" But. though
the life of the grass or the leaf may be
short as that Of an insect, yet its life is
absolutely vital to this country. Once
destroy the vegetation of a land and
you turn that land Into Sahara.
Leaves suck I'm the moisture. They are
reservoirs for water. They decide
| whether country Is to be fertile or
not Once destroy the forest with its
| leaves and the orchards with their
leaves and you change the whole at
mospheric condition of the country, as
| parts OF Spain and Portugal have been
robbed of all moisture by the d6struc-
ton of the leaves. Thus each genera
TONS spiritual life is absolutely neces-
sary TO be matured and developed for
the spiritual life OF the generation
which is to follow. Your spiritual life
decides what is to be the spiritual life
of your children and your children's
children.
Would that our spiritual life might
not only be saving gospel for our
selves, but also for those who are to
come after Us. There Is a beautiful
story told of Ulysses. the most famous
of all Uomeric heroes, who won his
greatest victory when he overcame the
hendish power Of the sorceress by the
influence of few leaves. Gree lived
in a beautiful palace upon a certain is
land. There as beautiful enchant-
/
welcomed the travellers who landed up-
on her shores. She banqueted and fet-
| ed them. At the end of the feast.
however, she would arise, wave over
the assemblage her magic wand, and
her guests would be changed into re-
| pulsive four footed beasts, who would
be driven by the attendant out to the
swine troughs. After Ulysses fellow
voyngers had been thus metamorphos-
ed the hero went to their rescue. In
his hand he held the fabulous herb
which was given TO him by the god
| Hermes. Never for an instant did he
let those leaves drop from his hand
| BY their power he was able to break
the fatal spell OF the destroyer and
make her beg for mercy and restore to
him his helpless and suffering compan-
| Ions.
A Heather Poets IDEA.
This was heather poets idea OF
the power OF evil being overcome by
the mighty and supernal power OF a
few leaves given to his hero by n
heather god. Cannot we use today our
lives as the symbol of healing leaves?
Cannot we feel that we by the grace OF
God can absorb into ourselves the heal
Ing power OF the gospel? Then cannot
we further believe that the healing
and saving power of the gospel which
we have received from Christ we can
| impart To those dear ones who draw
their earthly life from our life? AZ
we have been saved by the blood of
Christ cannot we offer that atoning
20
are dependent upon us for temporal as
well as spiritual life?
But. though n fading leaf IL a dying
leaf, yet after all Its last days ought
to be Its most resplendent days. Is
the leaf ever so beautiful as when II
has the hectic flush of death upon its
| cheeky Is II ever so beautiful as when
we rub our fingers over its yellow fore
head, when, like corpse still warm,
II Is torn or an overhangIng branch
and tumbles gently this way and that
| into our waiting laps?
And Is there time i'm all his earthly
career when Christians life rs so
| beautiful as after the autumnal frosts
or the tomb have touched his check?
Then the physical force OF the life may
De gone lie may not have the strength
he once had but IN his eye there will
| come softer look, in the touch of his
hand there will come a gentler SYM
| pathy. In the sound OF his voice there
will be holier prayer, in the move.
ment of his heart there will be a gen
| tier yearning. Thus the aged Christian.
like the last leaf left upon the tree
branch, may seem to be alone as all
| the leaves OF his generation have fallen,
yet people will love him for his noble
life, meilowed by many singing
frost. They will love him for what
he has been, for what he IL, and for
what he is TO be. Oh. my dear friends,
by the grace OF the Lord Jesus Christ,
as Christian, your last days on earth
may become your best days. Would
you not have them foretaste of the
best of all days, which shall come to
all OF Christs dear ones in heaven?