The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-06-23

needle Others assert that the Greck
word for "camel" translated In a broad
sense means a "cable rope" even as
the three English letters row on the
one hand might mean a row Of cab
bage heads I'm a vegetable garden and,
on the other hand. barrOOm fight.
These latter two substantiyes arc spelt
In the same way as the Greek word for
camel. which sometimes signifies "ca-
bic rope" But / take the third Inter
probation Of the commentators. | take
the third because TO my mind as a
traveller IN the east think the door or
the needles eye cut into one Of the
great gates of Jerusalem and into the
great gates Of other eastern cities Is the
only rational simile With my own eyes
| have seen the needles eye. that very
door about which Mark says Christ
spoke. And in Imagination | saw a
great grunting. groaning camel being
pulled through on his bended knees.
An. see him tug at the rope and Jerk
back his head. See him fight and bite.
See I'm that symbol Of the camel the
rich man struggling to hold on 10 and
to grip his gold, refusing to bend the
knee TO Christ
Merchant is II not harder for You TO
feel your dependence upon God now
since you have made financial sue
cess In life than when you were finan-
cially poor? When as a poor farmers
boy you started for the great city 10
make a living you then felt your de-
pendence upon God. There was no
doubt about II. You prayed hard the
night before you left home that God
would care for you. In the railroad
train Just entering the depot you put
your head upon your hand In the car
seat and said. Lord, lead me / am
absolutely weak and helpless Lead
me" DO you make that prayer nowi
With q big bank account and home
upon a nne boulevard and multtudes
Of friends. do you get down on your
knees every day, like camel going
through the eye Of the needle. and say
Lord. thou who dost feed the birds Of
the air and clothe the lilies of the field,
clothe and feed me, guide me, pro
tect me. am helpless without theeE
DO you make that prayer daily: Oh,
rich man, rich in money, but poor I'm
grace, down on your knees. Down on
your knees IN supplication. Lift high
er today the throne Of God by bending
low over the lowest throne step. Down,
rich man. In the name of Jesus. down
The needles eye OF the Jerusalem
gate is very low. also lind that II Is
very narrow Not only does the camel
have 20 bend his knee 20 get through
il, but he also has 70 have his packs
taken on his back. II this Is not done
the camel. with It's distendlng loads
hanging upon It's sides Ike our grand
fathers saddlebags on a horse. could
not get through the narrow door. The
rich man cannot get through the nee
dies eye OF the kingdom Of God unless
he stops carrying around with him bis
great packs OF meannesses and con-
temptibillties and selfish actions, with
which often he Is accustomed TO deal
with his fellow men. And yet how
hard II must be for a rich man 20 be
absolutely just and kind and truthful
and forglving 10 those whom be meets
in the ordinary walks Of life. Indeed,
the more | see OF rich men the more |
feel that, as far as their dispositions
are concerned, they are in the unenvl'
able position Of those who were
brought up as an only child In a fam
fly and have every temptation under
the sun 10 make them spoiled children
and spoiled men.
There was not very much chance OF
you and your brothers and sisters be-
coming mean and selfish when you
were young. You were only one Of
nine children. Your father was a
farmer. All the boys and all the girls
had to do their full share Of work.
You not only had to divide the home
labors. but you also had TO share your
toys and your pleasures with each 9th
er If box Of candy came into the
house you were not allowed to grab a
handful. If there were three crullers
upon the table and six children you did
not have three or two or even one. You
only had a half. Each child had as
much as you had. and you had as much
as the rest: no more, no less. When
YOU went of TO the city school you
took turns and went of IN patches.
You did not all 20 together. You wait
ed your turn and helped each other to
an education. You shared each others
bed. You halved each others sorrows.
You doubled each others Joys. Oh,
feel sorry for the man or the woman
who did not have the blessed training
of growing up amid a big family Of
brothers and sistersl
Selfshness2 In those days you did
not know what sclishness was. You
did not have q wife TO walt on you,
as some Of us have now. And you,
grown woman. you remember the first
time you awoke 10 what a truly selfish
life meant. A little cousin visited your
fathers home. She was an only child.
Instead Of letting you play with her
doll she kept II all 10 herself. When
she had a box Of candy she would eat
a piece and then put the rest away In
her bureau drawer. If she went for a
carriage ride she always wanted to
drive or else she would cry. II there
was a game she always wanted 70 be
the leader or else she would not play.
She was selfish; she was Just mean and
contemptlbly selfish. You could not
understand her actions until your moth
er took you In a side room and said
May, l am sorry that you and Helen
cannotklay happily together. But you
must bt very patient with your cousin
Remember she is an only child. Re
member at home everything she wants
IL given to her, and no one ever crosses
her. You must be patient with her
my daughter. She has been spoiled
aud cho Ia NOT nloup 70 no blamed for