Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-11-23

III
when we come To die some OF us VIII
spend most OF our time regretting the
evenings which we have spent away
from our children and from our dear
wives who have done SO much for us?
Indeed. my brother do you not regret
even now the evenings you have spent
away from homer
Where Were you last night2" / ask.
"Oh," you say. "just as l was finish
ing up my work at the store an old
college friend called me up and said:
Jones. what are you going to do to-
night? Come and take dinner with me
the theater.' AS L had not seen him
for long time. went "Well, what
did you do the night before?' "Oh,"
you answer. Il always spend that
night each week at the lodge" "Well,
what did you do the night before?''
WELL" you say, y'I had q business en-
gagement that night. 1 wanted one of
my customers to buy some goods. So
thought the best way to sell them
was to ask him down to the club. 1
introduced him to some OF my friends
got him feeling good, then 1 clinched
the bargain that night and netted
good sum by the deal. Not a bad
nights work for me, was itT' Thus
you go on telling me how you spent
this night away from home and that
night and the other night But" 1
ask. did you not spend any night at
home last week? Did you not give
your wife and children at least one
EVENING"" Yes" you answer; 81 was
home last Monday evening. 1 came
home sick. l had caught bad cold
at the store. l came home feeling
wretched. l intended to go out that
night. but a fearful ralnstorm came
up, and my wife emphatically put her
foot down and forbade my going But
did not see the children much that
night. 1 was too sick and felt too
miserable. Immediately after supper
my wife put me to bed and gave me
a lot of hot drinks, and 1 got up n
good sweat. and so was able to be
back at the store next morning."
What. out of all last week have you
only spent one night at home. and that
was because you were too sick to go
out? You ought to be ashamed of
yourself With such wife and such
children can it be that you never re-
serve any evenings which you can
spend ia their company?
Tell Them to Come Home.
Your children when they grow up
should be able to look upon you as
a;
er. When Major ID. w. Whipple, the
evangelist, some years ago was sud
denly called upon to preach to great
audience which had assembled In Pitts
burg, he turned to his wife Just before
he left the hotel and said. my dear.
what shall L preach uponT' Major
Whipple's little daughter spoke up and
said. Papa, tell them to come home"
BY that she meant. '"Tell them to come
TO n heavenly Father, who has never
ceased to love his children, who will
never leave them unprovided for and
who will never let them wander beyond
his care" That was what the one SEN
tence symbolized. Tonight In the eyes
OF your children stand as the represent
alive OF loving heavenly Father.
Have you by your actions taught your
children 10 feel that there Is no place
In all the wide world where you would
sooner be than by their side? Have
you taught them that they can come to
you In every trouble and that you will
be to them n loving, tender, protecting.
gentle. forgiving friend? AS n father
and as n breadwinDer you must work
from early morning until the sunset
hour. But what have you bsen doing
with your evenings? Have you given
them 10 the club, and to the lodge. and
TO business. and to outside pleasures
and not devoted any OF them to holy
associations with your family?
The evenings also should be held
sacred for mental Improvement They
should be the time when we should
lay out systematic course OF reading
and study. They should be the time
when we find out what is happening in
the great wide world and what prog
ress the world has been making In the
last fifty or hundred years. 1t is just
as easy to discuss the characters of
great men and learn about the policies
OF governments as IL is to gossip about
your neighbors' affairs. 1t Is far more
beneficial To the mind and restful to
the tagged out mental and physical en-.
ergtes to try to study the origin OF
China's superstitions than 1t is to en-
ter into the quarrels OF sosae husband
and wife whV are living on he oppo-
site corner to your own home. BY
personal observation know thai
MI A.
~ keep their evenings employed fol
their own mental and spiritual develop
ment they are apt to get into mis-
chief.
There never was n truer proveri
written than that which says. 1.-The
devil has TO seek the busy man, but the
indolent man hunts the devil" Martin
Luther we'll illustrated this fact when
he said: when / am assailed will
heavy fluctuations / rush out among
my pigs rather than remain alone by
myself. The human heart is like q
milestone in mill-when you put
wheat under ii, IL turns and bruises the
wheat to flour. If you put no wheat In
Ii, 1t still grlnds on. but then ii is
itself IL grinds and wears away
Luther was right. You must set your.
selr some allotted task during the win.
ter evenings, else you will get into mis-
chief. You will be like the millstones
grinding themselves away. You must
have your evenings occupied with use
rul duties, else you will drift into sim
ful pleasures. There is no exception to
the rule.
Too Tired tn Read.
But. you say, what is the good OF
your talking to me about giving my