Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-05-20

XVI OtNAinC NiAN vi n uttO-
l became like unto him who at that
moment was my great exemplar."
Yes. yes. We all know what the
power of a personal example means I'm
life. We know that when men are
brave about us they make us brave.
We know that when men are true they
make us true. We know that when
men are noble examples of Christian
faith they inspire us with like Chris
tian faith. So when Paul. amid the
ShriekingS and groanings and heav-
ings and commandments OF the Medi-
terranean whirlwind. calmly and de-
lberately stepped forth and said,
Men, ] exhort you to be of good
cheer, for there shall be no loss of
any mans life. but of the ship" then
the sailors and passengers stopped and
said TO themselves: why, that is
strange talk. We cannot understand
il. but Paul must have had a super
natural vision, or else Re could not
have spoken thus. You speak so posi-
lively, o preacher. that we believe YOU.
What God yours must be to inspire
such confidencei Would that we had
your faith and your religion" Men
and women of the Christian life, are
your actions and words living witness
es of your faith in the saving grace OF
Jesus Christ?
Nothing Mean About Him.
Why are the crew and the passen-
gers OF this Alexandrian corn ship hap
Ply OF heart? Because Paul kept hold
ing up before them the mistakes of
their past life in order that they might
the more easily be led to follow in his
way. Paul was not a mere taunter, q
sneerer, n ridiculer. n tantalizer. He
was not one OF those mean. contempt
BILE fellows who always stand around
when anything goes wrong and say.
II told you So" He was not one OF
those miserable comforters of Job who
are about as healing to the bleeding
heart Us poultice OF cayenne pepper
or singing nettles would be to man
gled arm caught In q press. But Paul
was like a good physician who comes
to an overworked man and says: My
friend. 1 told you IL you did not hold
up you would have a nervous break
down. Now this breakdown has come.
Therefore want you now to trust me
and do what tell you to do. and then
we will make you we'll" Paul In the
same gentle way as the good physi-
clan stands before those helpless voy-
ayers and says: Friends. I told you
not to loose from Crete. I told you
that IL we tried to make Rome during
this winter eQuinoctial you would re-
greet it. But now that this harm has
come to you l want you to obey my
commands. and promise. by the God
whom / represent. that there shall be
no loss OF any mans life. but OF the
ship"
Cnt and Mouse.
1t Is a contemplate characteristic to
tell n man his faults and keep telling
them. merely to glory In his misery.
even as fiendish cat might tease and
tantalize n little mouse and yet rot
Kill ii. 1t Is n contemplate thing for
a man to come around when your lit
tie child lies cold in death and say:
well. So-and-so. am sorry your baby
is dead, but | knew she would die. l
knew ii when you called In DR.. Big
dose as your physician. lie always
Kills more patients than he ever cures.
1 told you so. told you so. II you
had only followed my advice. your
baby would be alive today" Can he
bring the child back TO life again2 I'll
Is mean, contemplate act In a man
10 come TO you. after a financial dis
aster, and say. well. Jones. you were
caught, were your Just as expected.
Aha! you would not take my advice"
when. in fact. the man never gave YOU
any advice or offered any sensible plan
by which you could get out OF your
threatened danger. But. though 1t is
mean and contemplate act TO ridi.
Guile the misfortunes OF others for the
JOY you have I'm seeing other people
suffer. It IS Iustifable to plead with
them to accept your advice in their
trouble by reminding them that your
former advice would have saved them
from getting into the trouble.
In order TO erect a mansion II Ia
OFTEN necessary TO tear down and clear
away the walls OF an old family home. |
stead. But no man has a right to tear |
down or destroy anything unless he |
can erect better in its place. The
most mischievous of all social reform
ers Is the destructive iconoclast who
has nothing TO offer us I'm the place of |
the institutions he would tear down.
we know our social system is inner |
rect, but we would not have IL mended |
Dy an anarchist, who, like the leaders |
or the French revolution OF 1913. would |
commence by demolishing the good |
ana the evil together. 1t IL easy |
enough to be censorious critic. II Is /
not so easy matter to furnish a bet |
ter for that which you deride. I re-
member many years ago. as an imag- |
inatlve boy, read that strange. weird,
horrible story called Caesars Col |
umn. In fascination followed its
author step by step as he deftly tore
me beautiful patterns OF modern So |
clety into shreds. In horror read on
as he denounced the social status. not |
as the generation OF Noah was de-
stroyed by this old earth as a water
logged craft, shipping tidal wave after
tfuai wave, but as huge column OF |
plled up corpses. But as the years /
nave passed by and boyish imagina-
ton has given place to sober thought |
the flames and the smoke arising from
the funeral pyre OF Caesars column.
grown less and less. The great air
ships which circled about in the heav-
ems as great fiocks OF destroying birds
have collapsed. Why? Because | see
as a man that. though lgnatius Don
nelly might advocate the destruction
OF society by finding fault with 1t, yet
with his brain he could not construct
Tor us better Utopia. Lake Paul.
never ridicule q man, never probe for
his faults. unless at the same time YOU
can show him how to correct those
faults. Never refer to . mans malady
or deformity unless ysu can tell him of
doctor who can apply q remedy for it.
Religion That HeIps.
Why were the crew and the passen,
gers OF the Alexandrian corn ship OF
good cheer? Because Paul was a man
Of Christian common sense as we'll as
of supernatural visions. He knew that
the only religion that could really balo