Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-12-09

preaching, became more cheerful. Your
father sent those people away with the
conviction that God would help them
in their battle of life" Then DIR. Reed
said, in a kind of soliloquy, "Oh. that
all gospel messengers could make
their sermons n cheerful message for
tired men and womenr'
ICES. the new song we sing ought to
have the keynote of cheerfulness. That
is the first great essential. Why should
1t not be cheerful? IL we believe In
God, IL we believe in what Christ has
done for us, have not we belief which
should uplift every heart into the high
est realms of Christian joy2 Suppose
am an artist. Suppose send one of
my pictures to the worlds fair ut st.
Louis or to the salon of Paris. Sup
pose 1 today receive letter from the
authorities of that art exhibit some
thing like this
Dear Strive are glad to inform
you that your picture has received the
first prize In the class of portrait paint
ing. You will not os1ly receive a med
al for the same. but also a check for
$4,000. which is to go to the winner OF
that prize. We congratulate you on
your success. and we are glad that your
state will hereafter be known as the
home OF one of the greatest artists Of
this generation"
What would 1 DO IL received such
letter as thatf Would put that let
ter away and say nothing? Would 1
walk around with sepulchral counte-
nance and dolOrous voice, saying. 81
have won a $1,000 prize and interna-
tional fameT' No; my eyes would
| fash, my checks would flush, my
nerves would tingle with glorious ex-
element. I would go home at once to
my wife and children and say: Loved
ones. my artistic position IL now as
sured. I will be able 20 earn for us all
| the money we need" IL the news that
we have won an earthly prize makes
us so happy, how ought we to feel
when we realize that q heavenly and
eternal blessing has been conferred
upon us? Shall we not sing a cheerful
song when we realize all that Christ
has done for us and ours?
The Coming Holiday Song.
Our coming holiday song should sing
the Joy Of our salvation. 1t must do
the happiness OF some one else. There
fore our new song should be n helpful
song Jenny Lind, the great Swedish
nightingale" regarded her voice as n
gift from God, bestowed that she
might help her fellow men, May we
look upon our new song TO be sung to
God ms a song to help those who are
in physical, mental or spiritual dis
treSs.
oh, that we In our coming holiday
song could have the beautiful purpose
which 1.-The human thrush" Jenny
Lind, had in her gentle, cousecrated
Christian heart! She was always doing
some kindness to others. Lablache, the
great Italian basso, when he first
heard her, said. "IIer voice is so true
that each note Is like perfect pearl"
Jenny Lind heard what her great Ital-
ian contemporary had said. When she
met him at their first rehearsal she
smilingly stepped to his side and took
hit hat; then. placing her lips TO It's
edge. she sang n beautiful French ro-
nance. Then she gave him back his
hat saying. There, NJ. Lablache, is
your hat. filed with my pearls OF
song" That was n beautiful compli-
ment by one great artist to another.
But Jenny Lind did more than sing
handfuls of musical pearls into La
blache's hat; she sang thousands OF
dollars out OF the worlds pocketbooks.
Then she scattered thousands and hun
dreds OF thousands of dollars every
where. She gave away 10000 forms
when she made her triumphant music
al tour through Germany. She gave 10
England's poor over 100000 when this
queen OF song sang in the kingdom
OF her great sister, Queen Victoria. She
gave $4,000 TO Americans poor when
she travelled through our states. AS
Jenny Lind sang TO her fellow men and
women helpful song, so should we
make our new song OF the holiday sea-
son helpful song.
A story OF PaEnnini.
Your new holiday song-how is IL
to be made helpful to your fellow men?
is 1t to be made so in temporal sense?
One day Paganini. the greatest violin
ist OF the ages, was walking through
the streets or Vienna. He was then at
the height of his fame. he had kings
and queens and nations bending under
the scepter OF his bow. A celebrated
musical composer who was accompany.
Ing him suddenly turned and pointed
to little ragged urchin scraping away
on an old squeaky violin. There, Pa
ganini." said he. lis one OF your coun-
trymen." With that Paganini crossed
the street and began to talk with the
little beggar. On hearing his tale of
| sorrow the great Italian master snatch
ed the squeaky fiddle from the boys
hand and began to play. Never did a
public thoroughfare of Vienna hear
such sublime music. After the piece
was ended Paganini passed his hat
around the crowd and then emptied
into the boys pocket the gold and the
silver he had collected, saying, There
thy lad, take that home to your sick
mother and buy her the medicine she
needs" During the coming Christmas
holidays will our new song be a help
ful one, In temporal sense, as Paga-
ninfs WAC blessing to the Vienna
street arabf When you buy presents
for your father and mother, wife or
husband and child, brother and sister
1000 AA@~ANs WAii yo0E INV SOuk INSPIRE
you also to buy bread for the hungry
and clothing for the mixed and medI-
cine for the sick3
When we sing our new song shall we
bring spiritual blessings to others aksof
The great hosts which shall enter
heaven may be augmented IL we sing
our new song as we ought to sing IL.
Charles Fl. Spurgeon, the famous Lon
don preacher. once had a wonderful
dream. He saw a greet throns pass
ing through the gates Of the new Jeru-
salon. WHO are these, and whence
came they7" he asked. These" said
his guide, "are the apostles and mar
tyrs. These are they who have laid
down their lives for Christ" "B,it,"
answered Spurgeon. II never was an
apostle or martyr. 1 cannot walk
with that throng." Soon, however. he
saw another multitude. greater than