Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-10-28

how much more does woman I'm her
hours OF trialg L always had great
deal OF sympathy for the prayer of
| that woman who said, 20 God. keep
me from going over the precipice OF
sin. for IL my feet ever leave the path
OF virtue even thou canst not bring
me back TO the straight path again. !"
| And yet how many women there are
today being torn and lacerated 10y the
thickets of sin who could be brought
back TO live honest, pure. true. respect
able lives il only the Christian men
and the women in the name OF Christ
would go forth 10 bring them back,
The beginning of my text opens amid
the shouts and gay laughter OF the
DerrymakerS. II closes with the sobs
and means ana the groans of breaking
| hearts. Brother sister. will you today
| In the name of Christ "weep with
those that weep" VIII you stretch
forth the broad. strong. loving hand OF
rescue ana say, Brother, sister. IN the
name of Jesus Christ. give me thy
hand. and will help thee up to God
up 10 a heavenly and an earthly res
eueT VIII YOU do this for Christ :?
VIII you weep with those that weep"
| and help others. no matter how far
sstray their sinful feet may 90 or are
about TO 20?
Practical Test.
Yes answers some one. from this
day ! promise TO help all those in dis
tress that / can" You do? Well, then.
let me put that resolve to practical
test. At II large religious gathering in
the east where collection was about
to be taken up for famine stricken
ireland that big hearted philanthro-
pist William L. Dodge arose and said:
Gentlemen, we have been hearing
some wonderful speeches about this
famine. Some OF US have been crying,
some praying. Now I want to put your
gospel sympathy to n practical test.
What Ireland needs Is bread, bread
bread, bread. bread. In order to buy
that bread my sympathy is worth just
$500. What is your sympathy worth?"
AZ William K. Dodge put his sympa-
thy to practical test / want to put
your sympathy TO the same kind Of a
test. You say as Christian man, "By
the grace of God I will always help
those who need help" Well, here is a
convict just liberated from jail. Work!
He will do any honest work that he
can get, but the trouble is he cannot
get any work TO do. All earth and hell
seem to be arrayed against his living
an honest life. A few months ago. dur
ing his confinement. he thought and
dreamed over the happy days of his
past life. While he thought aud dream
ed the picture of his old home trans
formed his prison cell into the old nurs.
cry. He was romping and playing
again with his brothers and sisters.
There he saw again the old folks. now
asleep in the family plot. There was
the old haymow in which he used to
play and wrestle. Yes. there was the
same old haymow in which the hens
used 20 hide their eggs and then cackle
over the joke There was the old
church I'm which he used to squirm and
twist and fall asleep when the good
old minister would forget when to stop
In his preaching. And there was the
old village postoffice where the neigh
bors came to bid him goodby when. in
the old, rickety stage, he left the vii
iage and started forth to find work in
the iaTSe town.
As he dreamed in that cell the re-
| pentant tears came flowing from his
| eyes. He then and there made up his
mind to lead Il good, true. honest. pure
Christian life and at last TO be buried
in the old family plot at the feet OF his
father and mother. But, though he is
now free and wanting to be an honest
man, what chance has he? Every door
OF business is shut against him. Too
few places for honest men. For him
no room, no room. The other day he
applied Tor work as coal HEAVIER.
When about to be employed a rough
workman stepped forward and said
TO the owner OF the yard: "AIister, I
would not hire that man IL were you.
lie has just finished a sentence I'm the
penitentiary." With that the employ
er turned and said: "Out OF this ward.
you scoundrell My Office is 10 reform.
atoryr Trying to be honest. who Will
give him chancel Pray God he may
not give up. Tomorrow you may see
him. What, then, will your sympathy
be WORTH
What In Your sympathy WORTH
Here is poor, weak sewing girl
struggling on To make an honest living
and 10 live right. But, try on hard as
she Will, In her weakened physical con-
dition she can make but So week,
and that is just 80 cents less than she
can live upon. Oh, what an awful
HE! No sounds are heard In that
room save the continual scratchings of
her needle. the sighs of crushed heart
| or the low, hectic cough OF diseased
lung Sewing for others while she has
hardly n rag or her own. All well
enough for you TO talk about the holi-
| ness or virtue. You have your three
good meals day. But tomorrow, when
you ask her TO make you new dress
or you see her going down the street
IN her faded shawl, what will your
sympathy be worth.
Here Is street urchin, Just as good
boy as yours, and II he had any
chance be would make just as good a
man. But what chance has he? The
kindest word he ever received was a
curse No mother save q drunkard:
no father save u felon; no school save
sin; no literature save an obscene pic
In low Bowery theater, the ticket
bought by pitching pennies.
Last winter when one OF these boys
was shiyering upon n street corner OF
one OF the eastern cities such n little
newsboy turned to another street arab
and said: Jim, dey say der is a God.
I'm hungry, Jim. I'm cold. 1 don't
know where to go. And Jim I don't
care for any God dat don't care for
me-" Tomorrow such a boy will try
to sell you morning newspaper.
What will then your gospel sympathy
be worth. oh, my friends, Christ
came into the world to "weep with
those that weep He came to save
the lost sheep. not those safe within
the fold. Be We like Christ. Go out
into the highways and the hedges and
compel them to come in Fine churches
will not do it. Missionary subscrip-
tons will not do It, But by the help