Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-08-11

SVAne ne0fer ana tne runDling would
grow louder and louder. So. when we
place our ears close TO the side OF the
cradle. we seem TO hear the voices Of
childhood days. the parental voices OF
the old homestead. These I'm chorus
are sounding THE Call OF the Good"
How long. bow very long ago, in child.
hood days, those voices FIRST soundedl
Calls TO the Higher Life.
How many years back can you re-
member those voices OF childhood
"Oh." you answer. II can remember
back twenty, thirty. forty years ago.
1 can remember clear back to the time
when l was five years OF age. 1 re-
member when my father sold his farm
and went to town and became a store
keeper. We had a big yellow cat on
that farm, which was my playmate.
l wanted to take that cat along to
town. but mother would not let me.
When all the children, OF whom was
the youngest, were piled into the wag-
on to leave the old house. l cried so
hard that mother at last relented and
said 1 could take the cat 1 remember
how ! held that cat in my arms and
carried her 10 our city house" What.
cannot you remember farther back
than that? oh. yes, you can, my broth
er. think today you can hear strange
Voices OF the Good" calling you to the
better life, which were whispered In
prayer over your cradle. Perhaps to-
day You can hear parental voices,
pleading with you for the better life,
which were whispered over you on the
day after you We're born.
Many years ago when the Massachu-
sets hills were covered with forests
and in the dark recesses OF the woods
the smoke from the Indian wigwamS
was seen by the pilgrim colonists three
little white children Were stolen away.
Searching party after searching party
went forth. but the lost could not be
found. Many years after there came n
rumor to the coast that three young
maidens were living with an Indian
tribe in the interior OF the state The
father and mother OF one OF these sto-
len children went to this tribe, but
when they arrived there they could not
tell their own daughter from the other
white maidens. Their daughter was
stolen when q baby; now she was a
grown girl Finally the mother sat
down under a tree and began to sing
the old lullaby with which she used to
Groom her darling to sleep. No sooner
did the mother begin to sing that lula
by than one OF the young girls stopped
in her work to listen. Then she crept
up nearer and nearer to the singing
woman. Then with 4 bound she ran
md VlnRnA hnr- hn.H tn, ~
ans lap and in the Indian dialect sob.
bed: Mother! My motherl My lost
and found motherF' All. yes. it was the
voice of the cradle that called her TO
her mothers side. And so today you
and l hear strange voices that are
sounding THE Call of the Good" They
are the voices of prayer, OF love. OF
tenderness with which our mothers and
our fathers gave us to God when we
were very little children. Friends, can.
not you hear these voices? Just put
your hand 20 the back of your ear and
I'm Gods name listen. Yes, those voices.
those loving voices, those voices OF pa.
rental prayer. OF early childhood, ut.
tered perhaps over our cradles. are now
calling US to the higher life.
The Cali OF the Lifting.
nut we do not have to listen to 'Thc
Call OF the Good" I'm echoes alone. We
do not have TO hear this call TO the
better life simply in tie voices of dead
ancestors and in parental pleadings
and the wooings OF childhood hours.
We can hear IL also in the good deeds
OF the consecrated men and women
WIN
around us. All, how many we can
hear IL we are only willing 70 open
our ears and listen TO theml
Nobilities and sacrifices of human
life for the good OF their fellow men
are everywhere sounding. enter the
physicians Office. and what do I 1nd7
MEAN, contemplate. selfish and blood.
thirsty vampires" says some cynic.
''The doctors, as n class. will not only
drain you OF your blood, but they will
rob you OF every dollar they can" Oh.
no. my cynical friend That Is no,
what nnd. az rule, in the physIcian's
once There I flnd az noble a class OF
men as ever lived, men who are doing
one-third, perhaps one-halt. OF their
work for nothing or perhaps even less
than nothing. ! go to the great Chi
cago surgeon. DIR. Murphy, and say:
DIR. Murphy, here is n young girl SUI
fering. She has not a cent. VIII you
operate on her for nothingT 81 WILL"
says DIR. Murphy. Send Der down"
And send her down i did. I go TO the
brilliant Massachusetts lawyer, George
f. Hoar, and say: MIR. Hoar. your
country needs you. VIII you live and
die poor man? VIII you live In a
boarding house In Washington upon a
inca ger salary so that you may leave
your country a rich heritage OF life
sacrificed for duty's sakef" The young
will" Senator IIoar lived and died
financially poor man.
l enter the study or the great French
author lola. say: "Mr. lola. there is
young man. Alfred Dreyfus by name,
who has been unjustly condemned and
sent to Devils island. He never has
committed crime: neither have his
accusers brought forth one proof OF a
crime, VIII you throw your influence
against the ringleaders OF the French
armyf VIII you be cursed and be cruel
-N0 aA-1 @SA@ " LsAA0Oh iOA Iu1ACC =
sake while you stab 10 death the IN
EQUITIES that are destroying the French
government" Emile lola answers, 'I
will" l 60 into the college class room
and say TO some OF the brightest stu
| dents sitting there: Young men. will
you it yourselves for service in for
eign missionary fields? VIII you give
your lives up to God and humanity
for mere pittance OF a salary and be
separated from all the opportunities OF
wealth that you could win ut the bar
or in the medical profession or behind
the merchants counterg" No sooner
do speak than scores and hundreds OF
young men raise their hands and cry:
az will! II my God and my country
need me, am ready 60 lay down my
life in their service. 1 Will l will!'
oh. the noble sacrifices for justice and
honor and truth and Christ and coun-
try and homo and l0vad nN0a wa oa.x