Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-11-05
Caln1age
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Tslmaee, d. ID.

les and tne pOteHtlhhlieo VI
,oss and human kindness In the nome,
n business and in our everyday deal
pgs with friends and enemies. Inc
ext is ii Timothy Ii, "A, BE gente
into all men,"
The great moral leaveners OF the
world have used but little blasting
powder. They are not past masters III
he "Hieh Order Of Babbling Quar-
.slers." Like the laborers, lifting high
,r and higher the walls Of Solomon's
temple in Jerusalem, they make Dut
little noise. They tread the pathway
Of life with feet, for the most part,
,andaled in velvet. Their voices are not
an angry growl, but dulcet whisper
Their breath is not cyclonic, but q sum-
mer zephyr. Their countenances are
NOT twisted with the demoniac pas
uions of a Hogarth's caricature. Ineir
ewes are not flashing with the light
nipQs OF a Mediterranean eurociydon.
They are red Tipped and laughing eyeo
q nd rosy checked, with the happy smile
OF a glorious June sunrise. Tney Dc
lieye not in the strenuous LIE, WIN
its swords and spears and battiea1es
and clubs and bludgeons ana comma
rrations. They believe not In hurting
storm cloud against storm cloud until
the deluge comes, and the bridges arc
swept away, and the harvest nelds arc
battered down, as though two mighty
armies had turned the valleys into
gigantic battlefield, where the heavens
were resounding with the cannonading
of the elements. But they beheVe IN
the gentle life." They believe III
the golden pulleys Of evaporation gath-
ering up the waters into the reservoirs
OF the clouds, to be scattered abroad
in the blessed refreshment OF April
ahowers They believe in the gentier
means, which produce life, and not III
the fierce, passionate methods OF tns
iconoclast, the anarchist and the nre-
brand. which destroy life.
Nature has her storms, eruptions anu
earthquakes, which in her angry
moods carry death and destruction IN
their path. but the gentle ways are al
ways used by nature to accomplish ner
greatest good. Standing upon ships
deck some day, l say, Where did yon-
der tall, straight mast come from =
"Why," you say, hundreds Of years
ago a bird was flying over the Maine
hills toward her nest with little SEED
In her mouth. The keen eye OF q nawk
spied her. When the hawk began 10
soar higher and higher In the hef ems
that be might make o7e terrifiss nss
upon bis prey. the little bird saw him'
Before she fed to safety she gave one
little frightened cry. When she utter
ed that cry her bill opened and the
seed dropped to the ground. A gentle
wind blew up the valley and covered
over that seed with little soil, A III
tie shower then came and moisteheo
that soil. and the little seed began te
snrout. It took root. 1t grew into
bush. 1t grew up into a sapling. l.
rounded out into a great big tree. On'
day a Maine lumberman came througl
that valley. With his az he marked
that tree for the shipyard. The tre'
was cut down. 1t was dragged TO th'
river and foated down to the sawmlil
II was scraped and fixed for a mast
When this ship was launched that tre
was fitted in its present place 10
mans use. Nature developed that tree
not in the upheavals Of a day, but o.
the gentle ways Of maturing years"
The gentle life of the Christian mus
be manifested toward those with wnon
we come into closest contact. We mrs
of all should be gentle to our parents
our wives, our husbands and childre
and brothers and sisters and home al
sociates. We should be gentle whe
we arise In the morning and prepar
for the breakfast table, be gentle whe
we are fixing the children for schoo
he gentle when we kiss our wives goot
by as we start for the train, be gentl
when we come home at night from I'd
store. be very gentle when we tue
away the little ones into their BEDS IL
the night, for it is by the gentle word
the gentle deeds and the gentle men
cries that we hold our greatest INN
ence over our dear ones and not Dy u
rebukes and the consciousness OF OF
bitter tongues.
An Old Proverb.
The old proverb teaches, "One war
sunshiny May day can woo more ou'
out of the trees and bushes than n
months of winter frosts can ever q
complish." One word OF gentiene
can accomplish more for good IN u
lives Of our dear ones than thousai
angry looks can ever do. You kno
that your mothers smile, your mot
er's kiss and your mothers sweet wa
were the greatest magnets which ma
you try to do right. They were n
your fathers punishments and sha
rebukes. You know that your WIZ
gentle ways have far more lnhueh
for good over the lives OF your Ill
children than your sharp correction
- although your wife rarely lifts ha
10 strike them a blow. Why, only if
weef this fact was illustrated to y
in an emphatic way. You told yo
boy not to do a certain act. fou u
him not to 60 to a neighbor's hou
~ He went. When you came home y
~ found it out. You were angry. I
said to yourself II will make that 0
mind me IL have to whip him Tor
disobedience." You took him TO yt
room and thrashed him. Did q
whipping do any good? Not partl'
e. The same angry look which nasl
ng from your eyes flashed from his. i
same set lines which drew down
corners Of your mouth drew down
% ~, He did not cry, he did not even wh
- per. He took his punishment IN O
ged silence, and then he sulleniy W
to his room.
There is an old saying that all
-.+,-aa Of tho wild and the dome