Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-11-23
Calnase
sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. d. ID.


fuence on character of the occupation
Of the evening hours is the topic OF
this sermon. which is especially timely
ut the beginning of winter. The
preacher pleads for wise and care
full method of spending the leisure pc
Rod of the day. The text is Psalm
civ %, Man goeth forth unto his
work and to his labor until the even
ing
L never take a walk or ride upon a
street car or enter n store or finish a
journey upon n railroad train without
being impressed with the universal
fact that this is a busy world. Most
people are in n treadmnl OF eeaseless
activity. OF course there are individ-
ual exceptions to this rule, but the
vast majority OF the human race are
working just as hard and as long
hours as ii is possible for them to do.
We may think that some men are not
working up to the full limit OF their
mental and physical capacity, but II
we once put ourselves in these mems
places invariably we will find out that
we could not work harder than they
il we tried to do their kind of labor.
what a lazy fellowr' once said
a gentleman who was impatiently
watching n workman emptying q tank
OF water into the drain by means
of n bucket. why, / could fill that
bucket twice to his oncev At last he
determined to set his workman an
example OF the right kind of industry.
SO he took the pail out of his en-
ployee's hands and went to work with
intense zeal. The water simply few
out of that tank. Instead of filling the
pail two or three times a minute, he
emptied six or eight bucketfuls of
water minute. There" he said to
his workman. why do you not work
like that?" please, your honor" an
swered the workman, would you be
kind enough to so on working that
way for another twenty minutes? 1
never doubted that six pals could be
emptied in n minute, but what want
to know is how long you could keep
on working at that rate il you had to
work ali day long" 1t is easy enough
for good race horse to run a mile
under three minutes, but how many
miles could he cover at that rate?
Yes, am right when assert that the
vast majority OF people are working
up to the full limit of their physical
and mental capacity. If they were
compelled to do much more, they
would soon have q physical collapse.
as an overdriven horse might be easily
killed If forced to go far at racing
speed.
All still at Night.
This worldwide work starts ut early
dawn and continues right on to sunset.
Hour after hour the Waterman PAGES
his lonely beat during the long, dark
hours OF the night. No one seems to
be anywhere around. The great city
seems to be dead. One o'clock passes.
Two o'clock comes. All is still. Then
) o'clock and o'clock. Then the milk
wagons begin to rumble. The electric
cars begin to roll. BY and by tho myr-
lads upon myriads Of people break
fast. Then the day workmen begin to
climb their scaffoldlngs, and the me-
chanics to sit at their benches, and fac
tory wheels begin to turn. and the
stores are crowded with customers, and
the law courts are filed with busy law
yers, and the various human beehives
hum and buzz with life. But as the
day speeds on the tired laborers begin
10 look at their watches. Three o'clock
in the afternoon comes. Then 4, 5, G.
Then the factory whistle blows. The
great business centers OF the town are
empued. The shutters are put up.
The securities are locked away in the
vaults. The showcases are covered
with protecting cloths. Man may work
eight, ten or even twelve hours, but the
evenings for the most part are his own.
Now, I want 10 consider with you
what we shall DO with our evenings.
1 am not here 20 talk about what we
shall do as clerks down at the store.
when the eyes OF our employers are on
US. But what shall we do with our
winter evenings. when we are practic-
ally our own masters and can do with
our time as we will?
The evening. In the first place, should
be the home hour. 1t is the time when
n man should get acquainted with his
family. 1t is the time when he should
become a child again Then, instead
of being like Paul and putting away
childish things" he should drop the
cares OF the store and play bean bag
with his children and shoot marbles
with his boys across the figures of tina
carpet and tell stories to his little
ones, as Eugene Field used to make
rhymes for his babies. 1t is the time
when you should try TO beat your big.
gest boy at a game Of checkers and
when you should read your eldes,
daughters latest composition and find
ont how she likes her new teacher
Then, after the babies are put to bed
and the good night prayers have been
said and the kisses given, it is the
lime when you should draw your chair
up to the sitting room fire alongside of
your wife's chair. While she is darn
ing the stockings Is the time when you
should open to her your whole heart
and tell her everything about your
hopes and yo1r plans. Before you mar
ried her you did not think any winter
night too Geld or too damp when you
waded through the snow to visit her
In her fathers home. Surely you can
afford to spend n few evening hours
with her alone. as you used to do be-
fore she became the mother OF your
babies. But. alas, alas, how many men
there are who look upon an evening
spent at home in the family circle as
Il wasted night! How many there are
who when you talk about their days OF
counting shrag their shoulders and say:
''Yes. yes; know. But those days are
10 be silly once in awhile, but have
NV