The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-02-03

about TO be unleashed by starvation
which soon would be growing AM
snarling about their doors during tn
coming winter. All. yes. II makes
great deal Of difference how one look
at coming years labor before ant
after a destroying tempestl Most o
you, like Job, have had your lorna
does Of trouble" which have wrecked
the home and destroyed your business
and killed your cattle and sheep anC
left you stripped and forlorn.
But though bitter trouble may hav'
assailed you In the past that is o rea
son why yop should think every darl
cloud presages for you a destroying
tempest. Indeed, I go further thar
that; do not believe your past storm'
Of troubles have all been destroying
tempests. You are still living. you
have survived your worst troubles, and
now, chastened and strengthened, you
are going forward armed by past ex
perience and wiser by your trials
strong in faith, TO meet what the new
year may bring.
Lack Of faith in our own work will
kill absolutely any faith others may
have In our ultimate success The old
proverb says, Rats will leave sink
ing ship" All our friends and associ-
ates will leave us as quickly as they
can If they once get into their minds
the thought that we ourselves feel that
we are certainly doomed to failure. A
man who is always anticipating fail
ure and taking a gloomy view II the
future not only works half hea tedly
himself. but depresses his associates.
What church would wish to listen to a
minister who had no hope Of thu ultl-
mate triumph Of the gospel? 4 he
were to preach week after weel ser
mons the keynote Of which was that
man is a failure, the church a failure,
Christ for the most Of US failure and
the world is going TO the dogs, would
any one want to listen to such ser
monsI Would any one continue to
work for the upbuilding Of the grand
old church Of Christ. which has had
such a mighty influence for good in the
past and is having such mighty influ-
ence for good in the present and Will
have such a mighty influence for good
in the future? No. OF course you would
not. You would say to yourself: well,
the church Is going to smash an I the
people are going to smash. | guess
will get Off the train and let the Limit
ed Express Of Destruction 20 over the
open drawbridge as II may"
What you need, o man, at the begin
ming Of this new year is to take a big
not of your misfortunes, but
Df your blessings. Find out al the
bright things you know about you life.
Repeat them over and over and over TO
yourself Get faith in God and In
Then your associates will get
faith In you. BY their increased labor
you will get faith in them. Then, to-
yether with faith In each other and
'aith in God. you will go forth with re-
lewed zeal for the seed planting and
he multitudinOus harvest will surely
'ome. Never let your associates know
hat you have lost faith in yourself.
The poorest song furmer ever sung in
he time Of sowing and seed planting
8 the pessimistic song of old, which
viii destroy the enthusiasm Of every
arm hand:
Thirty days hath September. April. June
and November;
From January up to May 1t raincth
every day;
III the rest have thirty-one without a
blessed ray Of sun.
And II any OF them had two and thirty
They'd be Just as wet and twice as
dirty.
"Well," says some one else afflicted |
With New Years timidities, Il not only
ave lost faith in myself and in my |
ssociates, but | have also lost faith |
D the good deeds which l try TO do |
or the lost and the needy. l am not |
n angel. l make no pretense of being |
perfect man, but do try to do some
oOd I'm the world. Almost all my |
ood intentions have gone for naught
he more you do for some people the
,ss they try to do for themselves"
his is unquestionably true, but, though
Dme seed sown in Christian phllan-
lropy seems to be thrown away, that
oes not prove that the seed planting
not worth all the labor It costs us.
What would you think Of a farmer
tho should say to you, II will not
liant a kernel Of corn unless | am pos
lively sure that from this kernel will
row a stubble Of corn, or a grain Of
heat, barley or buckwheat unless
rom this very seed l shall get my
lirty or sixty or a hundredfold re-
irnT Why, you would laugh such a
irmer to scorn. You would say TO
I'm; You do not know the first A b @
agriculture. A planter can afford
, lose thousand seeds II he can get
harvest from the remaining seeds he
ants" Yet all through life you can
nd men who estimate their successes
I'd failures not by, the glorious re-
rms they receive from a few gsod
eds well planted in good ground, but
: the failure Of the good seed which
IL inadvertently fallen in bad soil.
Why don't you help that young man
no has Just landed In town and is
randed? | grant that he has been q
ayward boy, that his life is not what
ought to be, but in spite Of that, why
mt you help him? You know you
n give him a position II you will
Dr." you answer, what is the useI
have tried to be a friend to young
en- in the past, but 1 am done now
ith turning my business house into
hristian mission. | draw the line
arply between business and ph Ian
ropy. do my Christian worS in
urch, but not in my store. run the
tier on business principles. When
Jung man comes TO me for work he
IS to have good recommendations or
will not employ him. Why, sir, |
we befriended four young men in
a ractf I ovop rronf co for oc IN try