Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-06-29

about year and half old. Instead OF
the mother protecting him. he now |
stands as the protector OF the mother. |
All the artistic world has sat before |
that picture as before shrine. Yet
Paul Potter painted THE Jewel of The |
Hague" for a tavern sign. For years II |
swayed backward and forward, beck |
oning the traveller TO come and find |
rest and refreshnIent behind the open
doors. There are many Paul Pottcrs. |
There are many men and women who
have had beautiful and inspiring earth. |
iy dreams. but they have never been |
able 20 make those dreams materialize. |
The vapors which photographed those
mlrages of early childhood have been |
changed. into the common puddles OF
proseic. ordinary life.
But have you and I right to sup
pose that the work OF any Paul Potter /
has gone astray and been useless? Let
me mention few OF the Paul Potters |
OF your life. There was your mother. |
She was what might be called q |
Household drudge" Was her life q |
faiiure? She spent. far more time In |
wishing dishes and with the sewing |
needle In her hand than yolydo. : Her |
family was larger. Was her life use |
less, humdrum one? Then there was |
that proprietor OF the village store near |
your fathers farm. Most OF his lie |
was spent without coat and In bis |
shirt sleeves; but We're not his quaint
words OF wisdom carried far up and
down those valleys? Was not his help
ing hand extended to every one? And
were not the words he SO often gave
to his customers of .God bless you"
the means Of spiritually blessing hun
dreds upon hundreds of lives? And
there was your old nurse. Was her
life failure2 Henry Ward Beecher
once declared that one of the greatest
gospel teachers he ever studied under
was AN old black man. who used to
work for his father, and who used to
sing to him the gospel songs and tell
to the towheaded boy Henry the Bible
stories which ever after were so pre-
cious to him. DO you mean to tell me
that your opportunities for working
for God and man are not as great as
those OF the old black man who used TO
work in Lyman Beecher's parsonage and
who helped start Henry Ward Beecher
StA VI AIS WVtiuW rue
Farraset's Opportsnfty.
Then most people have no right to
| complain about their insignificant posi-
lions, because they are not yet through
with life. and they do not know what
| positions OF conspicuousness they may
yet be called upon to fill. l was in
tensely Interested the other day In
reading about the supreme moment of
Farragut's life. That moment was
| when In command of the Hartford he
was leading his ships into Mobile bay
The monitor Tecumseh was at the
head OF the line. She struck a torpedo
in the most dangerous part OF the en-
trance TO the bay and almost instantly
disappeared. Soon the next boat In
line, the Brooklyn. began to back wa
ter away from the dreaded torpedoes
and was backing upon the admirars
flagship. ALI seemed lost. But sud
denly Admiral Farragut lifted his
trumpet and called. -Four bells. Cap
tain Drayton; go aheadr Instantly
the flagship moved ahead. and all the
other ships followed. AS the ships
passed into the barbor the men could
hear the torpedoes humping upon the
huils. But they were dumb torpedoes
and exploded not All America and
the whole civilized world Mt once hail
ed Admiral Farragut rs one OF the
boldcst naval heroes. But Farragut
when be entered Mobile bay was an
old man. as General Havelock was an
old man when he led bis troops on for
the rescue or Lucknow For nearly
i fhraasenra yaa 20 fhoso ,,aA,, hoIat. live
in ohscurity before their great oppor-
tunity came. AS unknown men they
worked and plodded. No Que seemed
to take notice OF them. But when the
greatest opportunities OF life came in
their old age at once they grasped them
and leaped 10 the front. Young man,
you have no right TO complain about
the humdrum work OF an ordinary life
II these heroes did not complain. You
do not know what God has ahead for
you. DO your work well In obscurity,
so that when the great opportunities OF
life come later you may be able to
grasp Them Al did FarraEut and Henry
n HAYeiock.
/ lis true you say. shat have
j tasted the bitter waters OF the wrecked
ambitions or early. childhood. but In
one sense i have outiived them. 1t is
Izsprprhing how time will blunt the
keen edge Of even the sharpest OF
Griefs. Just as we can forget the pains
OF the sicknesses Of childhood, we can
forget about the miscarried hopes and
the faded visions OF our youth. Now,
all ask Of the world Is fair, honest
show. That the world seems unwiIl-
.ir to give me. No matter how much
Try to do right the fault finders. the
misrepresenters, are always around.
Like Socrates, who was compelled TO
quar- the deadly hemlock, I am con-
strained almost daily to drink or the
, poisonous springs OF contention and
SANDER. Truly. like the psaimist. can
cry out, My tears have been my meat
day and night, while they (meaning my
enemies) say unto me. Where is thy
God? Yes. my enemies doubt whether
God loves me. and am myself almost
ready to be skeptical about the divine
protection and support"
Uses 81 an .Eaemy.
But, bitter though the attacks OF your
enemies may be. !. want you fully to
realize that an enemy has his good
uses for the development Of q man Just
an q friend has his good uses. An enc
my IS great restraining and develop
ing influence ia our lives. He Is like a
moral brake. Did you ever bend down
and examine the huge brakes OF rail-
road sengine2 When we approach the