Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-06-01

and more frequently reached out for
the poisonous cup. After I left that
church and went to a western field let
tiers from my old home came saying.
captain So-and-so Is not doing we'll"
No. he was not doing well. He drank
up his business He drank up the for
tune his father left him. He drank
big mortgage on his home. He sent
his girls forth to work for their daily
bread. And the last time 1 saw him
sin had almost completed its work.
did not at FIRST recognize the physical
and mental and spiritual wreck. When
I saw him sitting I'm my Old church
said. 'What mighty power sin must
be TO nave conquered 50 valiant heror'
oh, 1t was pitiful to see that staiwart
frame. that indomitable spirit. over
come and laid low by a degrading hab-
it, II one so strong. SO fearless, so
brave has fallen, God keep us weaker
mortals close to himself, lest we, too.
suecumb to temptation.
But there is another great lesson that
learn from the old soldiers. 1t Is the
preserving power OF Industry. No man
Is SO happy as when he Is a working
man in the struggle for his daily bread.
/ once read a dramatic story OF the
Sioux war Of 1872 The Third United
States cavalry was encamped for the
night on the southern borders OF South
Dakota. By the violence OF mighty
storm the cavalry horses stampeded.
All seemed lost, fer without those
horses the soldiers were helpless before
the enemy. Suddenly the colonel or
dered the bugler to blow the stable
call" At once the horses, flying in
every direction, lifted their cars and
halted Then they turned and every
regiment was saved. Beautiful call.
that. Oh yes, II was beautiful call.
But want to tell you that the call Of
work has the same magic effect upon
the human race as that bugle call had
upon the cavalry horses Of 1874 The
call OF work seems 20 be harsh call,
but II Is the call Of contentnent, the
call or happiness and the call OF peace.
i am never so impressed with this
thought as when visiting some OF the
old soldiers homes of America. With
out any exceptions I believe the vet
erans' retreat or Washington or NIL
waukee or Danville or Sawtelle can be
counted among the garden spots of the
world. The one OF southern California
is especially beautiful. Go there any
time Of the year, and you can pick
flowers in the gardens There you are
within few minutes ride Of the great
Pacific ocean. There the libraries are
filled with books and the Memorial hall
has its regular entertainments and the
aviary is filled with birds and the set
tees are in just the right positions un-
der the trees. All that most OF us feel
Is needed to make life happy Is there.
The old soldiers do not have to worry
about their meals or their money or the
beds in which they are TO sleep or the
doctors and the nurses who will care
for them when they are sick. All is
provided for them. But as class are
the old soldiers in SawteIle happy? No.
Go to the old soldiers home and begin
TO talk with these veterans and you
ind them disseminated. What do they
say2 Praise their surroundings? No
Invariably they will find fault with the
overseers and with their food and with
their associates and with this and that
and with the other thing They have
nothing TO do. and so n large part OF
them spend most OF their time il COM
planning. o man, want you TO
thank God that you are compelled to
work day in and day out. month I'm and
month out. year in and year out. When
. friend came to Caylus, the celebrated
French antiquarian, and asked him
why he always was at work be an
swered. II engrave lest I hang my
SELF" Thus all men can most easily
md contentment. not in idleness, but
In severe and unrelenting toll.
lnaAess as ola Men.
But there is still another fact I want
you to notice about the old soldiers:
The approach OF old age and OF death
does not Change q mans views toward
God. IL he Is blasphemer when he
Is young. be Is APT TO be blasphemer
when he ia old. II be ridicules and
sneers at the Bible when he Is young.
be Is apt to be scoffer and an agnos
tic when he Is old. The most solemn
sentence / ever heard uttered was bv
the chairman OK the meeting when i
spoke before the Old Soldiers home.
az sawtelie.s "Mr. Taimage." be said.
you Will have sitting before you all
kinds OF men. Agnostics. infideis and
atheists. as we'll as Christians, are all
mere What" ! said to myself. "can
IL be possible that any OF these gray
haired men, who are so soon to meet
their God. are men who dare 10 GO 20
sleep at night without the prayer upos
their lips that Christ will be their
Saviour"
Then, short time after, In order
10 Seyroborate tAia statement, I said 20
one re the chez .chaplaIas Of the Grauc
Army homes. chaplain. have you any
atheists and aEnostics herc?s' yes. :.
he answered, but want to tel, ven =
very wonderful fact about this: Al.
moss without exception the good men
are believers Ia Jesus Christ. And the
old soldiers who are atheists and az.
nostics can be classed- among the can.
teen men," -Ah," then said, that
accounts for the infidellty among the
old soldiers" II Is the same reason
which accounts for infidelity every
where found among the men and the
women OF today. Atheism and arno,-
ticism and infideiity are In most cases
not a matter of the head. but of the
life.
When man wants to drink and to
go to, places OF evil resort, then that
man wants to argue away Christ.
Among the canteen men you find most
or the scoffers and the deriders of Je-
sus Christ. Among the frequenters of
the saloons and of the low variety
shows and OF the places of evil resort
you can find the most Of those who are