Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-11-02

tdplChS stAu .t1W> nave luC NiSOf OF
a steel trap? If the Alpine climber IS
SO benunbed by the cold that his eyes
become heavy with sleep will that
cold cease to continue its deadly work
when he lies down to siumber and the
whistling winds cover his shivering
flesh with n soft quilt of snow? / see
now three travellers lost upon the
western prairie. A biting blizzard IS
cutting through their clothing like Il
knife. One of these travellers, phys
ically weaker than his companions, be-
comes exhausted. Drowsily be falls TO
the ground and goes TO sleep. His two
friends jerk him up and begin to
pound him and to rub the cold snow
upon the frozen flesh. oh" he says,
'let me sleep. Let me sleep just n lit
tie while. and then viii go with you"
.No,'' they say; you must not sleep.
II you do it will be the sleep of death.
Every minute this cold will benumb
you more and more. You must walk.
You must throw Oft this lethargy or
you will die" Thus these two friends
drag him round and round all night
until morning breaks and safety Is
theirs. In this benumbing way our
evil habits affect Us. We say: ''ro-
morrow we will change. Now, just one
more glass. one more carousal." But
each intoxicating cup. each debauch.
each yielding 10 sin. renders us more
and more helpless to fight sin. My
brother, IL you do not conquer your
evil habits today you will not conquer
them tomorrow If you cannot put out
a spark today you cannot quench the
great conflagration IL you do not step
on the smolderiHg fuse you cannot
snuff out gunpowder magazine after
the explosive has reached it. Now Is
the time for you to get your emancipa-
ton from that destroying, debasing.
evil babit-now. now. now Oh, the
importance Of that Infinite word nowl
But this gospel motto gives scath-
ing rebuke TO the visionary seeker after
happiness as well as 10 those who
drowsily mutter to their sins and evil
habits, "Oh, let me rest upon my bed
Of sin little while longer, and then I
shall bestir myself and do what ought
10 do" 1t bitterly denounces those
fault finders who always reptne at the
present and have their eyes focused
upon the dubious blessings OF the fu-
ture. Yet some people never see a
beautiful sailboat unless IL Is shining
on the edge OF distant horizon, nor
happy home unless 1t belongs TO n
neighbor, nor smell Il sweet perfume I'M
less it Is waited to them from the
visionary gardens which shall bloom
FIVE or ten years hence.
The journey of life might be compar-
ed 10 8 summer camping trip. There
is an old proverb which says. You
never know people Alright unless you
eat with them at the morning break
fast table" But 1 tell you that the
breakfast table may prove deceptive In
reference to your acquaintance's true
characteristics, but n camping trip
never. There the true nature OF a man
OF woman can be read by all as an
open book. Now, on an average camp.
ing trip some people are like bees
they can find honey wherever they
may fy. They are like song birds
they can sing. no matter where you
place them. They are like sunbeams-
they will sparkle and dance. no mat.
ter whether they are up in the noun.
tains or down IN the valleys Every.
thing they eat Is the>most appetizine
OF all foods Every person they meet
Is q kind person. No travellers pass
them upon the road but they stop 10
chat and joke with them. Their beds
OF pine needles are the softest The
water that leaps out OF the brooks Is
the purest The sunsets and the sun.
rises are the most glorious. They laugh
ard play and make merry every day OF
their lives. And during all OF their
next winters work they never tire OF
telling the pleasant incidents OF the
past summers trip.
The Chronic Grumbier.
But. though al, the members OF yoNr
camping party pass over the same
roads and meet the same difficulties,
there Is nearly always one member
who does nothing bat grumble Like
an owl who never sees well unless the
darkness envelops him. this fault find
er sees nothing but midnight He Is al
ways droning dirge He grumbles at
the heat and grumbles at the cold. he
grumbles about the ants that get into
bis food box. and grumbles about the
meets. and grumbles about the long
journey, aud grumbles about every.
thing. II he is up in the mountains,
then he wants 10 be down in the val.
leys. II he * down by the seashore,
then he cannot sleep because the wa res
keep up such an everlasting moaning.
IL you so to him and say, Now. So
and-so, do you ever expect to be happy
In iife! he will answer: "0h. yes.
expect 10 be happy when get rid of
my present troubles. But you surely
would not expect me TO be happy amid
al my present annoyances.' Now,
mark you, my friend, these people of a
camping party breathe exactly the
same air. drink the same water. meet
the same people. camp under the same
trees, and yet four of them will find
nothing but blessings and the fifth
nothing but troubles. Such is the
greater journey called life There al.
ways are pleasure finders on the Jour.
ney, There are grumblers there too.
Now. my fault finding friend, if YOU
mud today filled with troubles you will
also mad the burdens OF tomorrow
awaiting You when yol awake in your
bed. The joys and the happiness of
life are not TO be decided by what a
man has. bat by the condition of his
own heart. II you do not learn to be
happy today and If you persstently
postpone your happiness you will be
miserable as long as you live, and there
ID no exception TO the rule IL you
are not happy in humble home you
would never be happy in palace. If