Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-03-25


full. But remember, o Christian sol.
der. II you desert your post now and
leave those boys they will not obey the
voice OF another teacher. They will
not come to church at all. You must
be to those boys what DIR. L. ]. Ber-
nardo Is TO the London newsboy, and
Charles n. Crittenton is to the Flor
ence Crittenton missions, and what
Livingstone was to Africa, and Carey
was to India. The gospel heroes OF the
past have given up their all TO win
their victories. They labored, they
shaved, they sacrificed themselves
among the outcasts. Go thou and do
likewise"
A Fact 10 Realize.
But there is another great fact which
the good soldier of Jesus Christ should
realize. Tie duties OF the camp right
ly performed are sometimes just as es
sential for Gods work as duties rightly
performed ut the front. The work
which is done by the commiSsary and
the surgeon has sometimes a greater
part to play in winning martial victo-
ries than the spectacular color sergeant
has in leading the charge before the
enemy's breastworks. What defeated
Napoleon Bonaparte In his famous
Russian invasion? The bayonets Of
the naughty car? No. The conqueror
Of Germany and Austria and Italy
could have brushed those guns aside as
he had done in former campaigns. 1t
was the baversack empty OF bread
which made the Little Corsican" run
like a frightened hare toward home
1t was Moscow in flames and his men
with nothing TO eat that made the
French commander tremble before the
stony glance OF death. And yet to
read some military ,biographers you
might suppose the personal worth of n
Grant, a Sherman, q Meade, a Han
cock, was the cause of all the victories
achieved by the northern, armies in the
civil war, and the mental powers of a
Lee, Longstreet, a Jackson, a Cor.
don, a Johnson, were the cause of all
the victories Of the southern armies,
The unrecognlzed heroes OF the civil
war have not had their due. The gen
erals and the boys who fought at the
front have been honored as they de.
served, but who has had n tribute of
praise to give TO the self sacrificing
men who made ii possible for the
fighting soldiers to live and die at the
front? would sing the praises of the
muleteers. 1 would sing the praises of
the army officers who bought the shoes
and the stockings and the trousers and
the coats and the hats and the blan=
kets and forwarded them and never let
a dishonest dollar stick to their fingers.
would sing, the praises OF the ambu-
lance corps, and of the soldiers who
acted as nurses. Did You ever stop to
think that in all the United States,
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, there
is not one, not even one, monument
erected to an army surgeon? Many
memorial stones for Mcpherson and
Sherman, n magnificent remembrance
to Grant, but not one monument for
one surgeon. In all the United States
not one monument erected TO q muster
ing officer who stayed at home to fill
up the ranks. Not one. In all the
United States not one erected to the
faithful paymasters who carried
around the money so essential to the
support of the soldiers children at
home. And yet those sacrificing deeds
or the heroes OF the civil war made Il
possible for their brothers In blue and
in gray TO stay at the front and fight
on the picket line.
UBrecoEnIzed Heroes
Christian soldiers, who are the stay
at homes? have recounted these
deeds OF the unrecognized heroes Of
war for purpose. l want to encour-
ago you in your ordinary duties of
life. 1t is not possible for every Chris
tan to be Chinese Gordon or n Have
lock or o. o. Howard or Stonewall
Jackson. 1t is not possible for all
Christian soldiers TO stand In the con.
spicuous places and win the plaudits
or the Christian world. But remember
that the humble private in Christ's
who as mother living In
the home, as sister working behind
the counter, as n daughter teaching
school TO support an aged parent or TO
give an education TO young brother
is in Gods sight one OF the essentials
for his great army. You are the power
behind the main line. making Ii posi-.
bic for other Christian soldiers TO fight
In the open. Paul is saying to the sol.
der in the rear as well as at the front.
TO the 1nconspicuous as well as the con.
spicuous soldier alike, Endure hard.
ness as good soldier OF Jesus Christ"
And why should we all endure hard
ness as good soldiers OF Jesus Christ
For two reasons. First, because il is
possible for every private as well as
Christian officer to receive the highest
OF all soldiers rewards. What Is the
highest? Yea, the very highest? We
have read how the Duke OF MarIbor-
ough was honored. Not only was he
created duke, but on account OF the
Blenheim victory parliament voted
him the magnificent manor OF Wood
stock and his royal mistress gave him
SI.Ooo,ooe. We have read how Arthur
was raised to be Duke of
on account OF his victory Mt
Lord Roberts, recently the
OF the British forces. and
Viscount Kitchener were raised to the
peerage for their services rendered To
the British crown. But all these offer
lngs and honors, these dignities and
Tame. given by grateful country TO |
faithful sons. will be as nothing COM
pared to the greatest gift which is Civ
en- TO Christian soldier. The gift
which is the smile OF appreciation from
loving Divine Commander. The
Well done?' which goes 10 the Chris.
tan hero of the name of Adoniram
Judson. The well doner' which is |
given to the humble servant girl and
to the humble clerk and to the humble
nurse and TO the humble missionary.
The Soldiers Sacrifice.
But why, again, should we all endure
hardness as good soldiers OF Jesus |
Christ? Because in so doing we are
following his blessed example. He
who spared not himself, but suffered |
freely for us. has the right to exnect
from us. From none of us |
does he ask such service as he himself |
rendered to us. When the army of |
Alexander the Great was scaling n
noted mountain pass the strength of |
he soldiers became exhausted. Manv
threw themselves upon the ground to
lie. The great commander saw the