Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-10-19


The poor. the poor. the helpless poor!
o Gcd. they seem To be everywhere.
They are thy angelic visitors. How
many of them last year have we helped
In thy name? Have We put one cloak
about the bare shoulders? Have we
lifted one morsel OF food TO the famish-
ing lips? Have we gone to one helpless
widow. struggling TO keep Il large fam
lily of little ones together, and said
''Sister. here is coal 10 keep you from
freezing. Here are coverlets for your
beds. Here are garments for your
wardrobe. Here is food for your cup
board. Here is schooling for your chill
dren. i know that God has sent you to
me that out of my abundance 1 may
give you aid" Answer me friend, with
all your money and with all your luxu-
ries of the past year. did you go out of
your way one step in order to help
Gods poor? Did you look after just
one family when there are so many
hungry and naked ones in the city
where you dwell? What-did you not
help feed just one hungry family ?
Then you have slammed shut your door
OF gospel opportunity In the face of the
''angelic VISITORS Gods poor are al
ways around. They have come to bring
you n spiritual blessing from heaven.
as the three strangers of old brought
a divine blessing TO Abraham and Sarah
from their Master and King.
"Poor Fellows
But when this noble Hebrew herds
man runs forward to PROSTATE himself
at the feet of the three strangers / see
him sharply scrutinize their faces. He
not only sees that they wear the travel
stained garments of poor men, but me-
thinks l hear him mutter: Poor fell
lows! Poor fellows! Perhaps they are
exiles from their own country. Per
haps on account of kings hatred they
are fleeing for their lives. Perhaps
they once had sheep and oxen and
horses and manservants, as / have. but
now, on account of bitter persecution.
they have lost all. ! must be especially
kind to these poor fellows who are flee
ing for their lives" Cannot you i'm
agine such thoughts passing through
AbraEam's mind as he runs forward to
greet the three strangers? l can. And
goes to the help OF the prosecuted and
the unjustly treated he is welcoming
to his home angelic visitors" who will
always bring to him spiritual blessing
from God.
How many people there are who are
being unjustly prosecuted. How many
there are who are being lied about and
misrepresented, Like the devils that
were torturing the poor maniac's body,
who was running naked among the
tombs OF the Gadara dead. their names
seem TO be legion. Many of these poor
fellows who are being unjustly treated
are dying of broken hearts. rs did the
late Daniel ID. Tompkins, who was one
OF the most pathetic characters of
American history. In his prime no
name was more powerful In the po-
litical world than his. He rose from
office TO office. At last he became gov
ernor of New York state and Their
vice president of the United States.
The White House was almost his. But
suddenly his enemies were able to
head him off. Though his whole life
stood for honesty and purity and truth.
his political foes charged him with mis-
appropriatlng some OF the public funds
when he was chief executive OF New
York state. He Indignantly denied the
charge, but he could not produce evil
dcncc TO vindicate himself His enc
mics had stolen il. His forehead. like
that of Cain, had a black mark Of guilt
placed upon it, and he was stunned by
his fellow men as an embezzler OF pub
lie funds. Thus Daniel ID. Tompkins
was compelled to retire from public
life and went down into dishonored
grave. Hardly had the grave closed
over his body when vouchers were dis
covered which proved not only that
Daniel ID. Tompkins had used the pub
lie funds Alright. bot that he had spent
a large part of his own private fortune
for the public good.
Tragic story.
ALAS, alas" you say. what tragic
story But the history OF Daniel d.
Tompkins is that OF hundreds and
thousands OF men and women about
us. Pure and true and noble are they.
Not dishonest hair is to be found In
their heads. But people are Whispering
against their characters and whisper.
Ing against their purposes of life
and whispering against their homes.
Though their enemies bring forth not
one scintilla OF proof OF wrongdoing.
yet we sit idle and utter not one pro-
test in their behalf. Who Is there that
has the courage to stand up in defense
or q man or woman who Is under the
ban OF society? How often does il
happen that some INSCRIPTIONS enemy
traduces a man or woman by hints and
innuendo and the poison spreads
stealthily through the community be-
cause 1T is not arrested at the begin
ming? When will every Christian per
ceive 1t to be his duty to defend the
reputation of other people from charges
based on mere gossip?
Furthermore, if you and 1 are only
willing to go to the aid of those who
are being prosecuted God will not only
personally bless us. but we will save
many men and women who are being
unJustiy treated from entering life of
sin and crime. I was never more I'm
pressed with this fact than some time
ago. when l was visiting an old Mis-
sourian- he was telling me the his
tory or his life- He was a young boy
at the time Of the breaking out of the
civil war. Any one who has read the
history OF Missouri knows that every
man who lived at that time within the
states border was encouraged to don
soldiers uniform. and there were
some who volunteered who had no 9th.
er motive than TO commit depredations
upon that suffering people. Clad in
that uniform, such men committed out
rage and escaped punishment Said
this old MissOurian: 1.-The people did