Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-09-22

been yours! Your gospel vines were
not planted last week or last year.
You have an inherited gospel vineyard.
You have inherited those vineyards d.
rectly from your fathers and mothers
Christian lives and consecrated home.
You cannot If you would, and you
would not if you could, get away from
this VITAL spiritual. life giving doc
trlne.
We do not inherit our gospel vines
alone. We also inherit vast acreage
of rich. uncultivated SOIL upon which
we should plant new vineyards ana
enlarge our grape producing regions.
In other words, no child has right
TO be content with the work which his
forefathers accomplished. Each new
generation has greater opportunities
for doing good than had the genera
tions which preceded 1t. Therefore II
IS YOUR duty and mine to be continu-
ally going ahead and doing larger ana
grander and nobler work than did our
fathers and mothers. We should pront
by their mistakes as well as successes.
To speak flguratively, by standing upon
their broad shoulders we should lift
our heads higher than they did. There
fore we should have larger horizon
for our gospel vision. Let me Illus
trate my thought from the vineyard
industry of southern California.
Planting New Vineyards.
am a vineyard grower. The time
of the annual ingathering OF grapes Is
past. You are also a vineyard grower.
We have been close friends for years.
Having q few weeks to rest up before
the January and February pruning"
Won come to make me visit. Win
J great pride 1 take you through my
VINEYARDS, to show you their richness
I say: "Yes, those are fine vines. My
father planted them fifty years ago.
He lived here and died here. These
vines were his one thought. He put
his best lIfeblood into their develop
ment." On the way back to the house
we climb hill and point out to you
the extent Of my property. do you
see all those vines at our feet? Wen,
they are all mine. Do you see those
posts running down from yonder hills
clear into the center of the valley by
those broad fields? Well, all that land
Is mine. DO you see those fields to The
east, and that jutting Of rock yonder
Well. all that land is mine. There Is
no soil in all this region which is richer
and better than those broad fields OF
mine" "Oh," you say to me, "then
YOUR father only cultivated small
part of his ranch. The vines were only
PLANTED in a small area Of the lane
! which he owned"
yes" / reply. "While father liyet
] the vineyard growers did not know al
much about grape raising as we d'
? now. Our forefathers did not have tn
system we have. Wire fences wer
Z not invented at that time. They di'
not know as much about pruning ant
ii cultiyating. Besides that, this countr
!. was so sparsely settled fifty years ag
/ that it would have been impossible Z
4 have gathered enough workmen a
4 one time to have picked the grapes o
| the vines when they were ripe. Ina
q work has to be done very quickly
. Then. If my father had been able
g pick all these grapes there were SO re'
q people living in southern California
= that time that there would have bee
= no markets for the grapes after the
y had been picked. Thus my father onl
|, planted tenth part Of his ranch Int
vineyards" Then you say: But col
ditions have changed. Why do you ne
= change? Why do you continue to IL
. all these fields lie idle because you
father did? He had reason for tn
fallow land. You have none. DO 20
not realize that God holds you to a.
count not only for taking care OF yo'
= fathers vineyards, but also for plan
" ing new vineyards of your ownT A
l. vou are right. You are right. l am N
Il only TO be held accountable to God II
. carrying on the good work when IL
le Christian father and mother did, b'
y 7 am also to be held accountable
le him TO do new work on my own a
IL count and to plant new vineyards.
te II Is of infinite Importance not
le neglect the old gospel vines which ha'
ie been carefully cultivated by our Chr
Is tian ancestors. But Is that any reas'
Of TO neglect new fields of gospel laDo
al John Knox led his gospel mission
er the court Of Mary, queen of Scots, al
ne he did a great and good work, but III
es other mighty Scotchman, Alexand
us Duff was not content with servil
~ his own country, but proceeded 10 CT
to tIyate new gospel vineyards and we
al as n foreign missionary to India. L
VI Bedford allegorlst, John Bunyan, W
u willing to langulsh in Jail because til
es would not let him preach as noncc
ny formlst minister, but that other gre
aii nonconformist English preacher, W
to liam Booth. resolves to break aw
I'D from his Methodist brethren In orc
TO lead the SalVatlOn Arhny III ie' .
YES pel mission among the slums and
so tbe outcasts of the world. Abraha
ny Lincoln signed the emancipation PR
ild Iamation for the American sla'
Booker T. Washington resolves to Ia
another step forward and lead
is negro compatriots into the higf
rit- realms of domestic purity and u
the chanioal and agricultural usefuln'
Gut and Christian citizenship. Our Chi
In tian mothers believed as Paul co
tile manded the ancient disciples In
ne Corinthan epistle, "Let your won
'ilo keep silence in church, for 1t Is not ?
lad mitted unto them to speak" Dut 10
his daughters will not be debarred IT
er- service, so they find work for
life Frances E. Willard and a Fran