Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-11-29

ntieu Win water. At night the draw
bridge would be lifted, the castle gates
closed, and the inmates were prac-
tically safe from any attacking foe.
Well, God has done for us a., n nation
what the earl did for his castle. He
has placed moat three thousand miles
wide on the east of us, which we call
the Atlantic. He has placed a moat
more than ten thousand miles wide ON
the west OF us, which we call the Pa
cine. And In military or naval par
lance these meats are practically i'm
passsble. Our nation IL net SO much
protected by the guns Of its warships
! and the Notifications Of its hsrbors as
by the immense masses OF water that
separate US from an invading foe. IT'S
true we must have a navy. 1t is also
true we must have the skeleton of an
army. But the greatest guarantee Of
the future Of the United States govern
ment is not our war guns or our coast
forttications, but these immense bodies
or water surrounding us on the east
and west Now that we are soon to
have the Panama canal marry the two
seas no foreign nation on earth could
successfully invade US. We may de-
stroy ourselves. but we can never be
destroyed by a foreign foe Thank
God for the waters that create our ma
| 1onal properties. Thank God also
for the waters which defend us from
foreign foes
Water In the Deserts.
Lastly, | thank God not only for
what he has done for this country by
the power of water. but also for what
he is going to do by the same power.
If you have ever Travelled across our
continent, you have gone days and
days through what are called our des-
erts. Those are not deserts OF sand
like the Sahara They are deserts that
will prove to be the finest and richest
OF soil II we only irrigate them and
bring water TO them. Let q rain fall
upon Arizona soil and within few
days that land is covered with grass
and wild flowers rs far as the eye can
see. No conservatory Is as wondrous
as that which God plants In the Ari-
zona deserts when the rain falls. All
these deserts are soon to be redeemed
They are to form some OF the richest
gardens and farms of the world.
L was never more impressed with
this fact than when reading lately an
article by William George showing
how Australia Is being redeemed by n
system of arteslan wells. Some OF
those wells have to be sunk more than
two thousand feet. But If they are
sunk deep enough they always strike
water. The vast inland Australian
deserts have deep sea of fresh water
under them. The possibilities of those
artesian wells may yet make the des-
erts as rich rs our Dakota wheat
fields. Talk about the romance of
engineering" wrote William George.
here are hundreds OF thousands of
square miles, formerly the despair and
terror of government and farmer alike,
magically struck rs Moses rod struck
the rock, and forthwith turned into
smiling fields OF grain and far stretch.
ing stock farms. Truly the dead heart
Of Australia is being slowly quickened
into life by the water wizards der
rick and his long sections OF boring
pipe-a wonderful victory of mind
over matter such as enables the COM
monwealth OF Australia to produce
wool worth nearly $S0,O00,O0o a year"
SO it is to be with our western arid
lands.
The Birds Thanksgiving.
BY the conserving and the building
up OF our forests, by irrigation and ar
sesan wells, Dy pipes and reservoirs,
by the storing up OF the rainfall, our
deserts are yet to blossom as the rose.
Theodore Roosevelt we'll said In one OF
his public addresses, '"The forest and
water problems are, perhaps the most
vital internal questions OF the. United
States" These questions are daily be-
inx solved More and more the Ansri-
can people are being enabled to cen
Qusr the soil which has heretofore been
supposed TO be useless and forever
dead to the magic touch of the cult
Nator.
While I was writing this sermon ]
had the strangest Of companions to
help me. Perhaps thst is one Of the
reasons why 1 was SO thankful when
writing It. My study is oman open
porch which overlooks my California
garden. Directly across this garden
stretches telephone wire. There, day
after day, little mocking bird comes
and sits and sings. No sooner do ]
commence to write than he flies to this
wire and perches there. Then he seems
to say: AT your Thanksgiving sermon
again? Well, 1 will help you to sing
your praises Of water" Then he lifts
up his pretty head, and the most beau
dful notes come forth from that little
throat, and he turns and says: 'Is not
that song pretty? Well, will sing you
another" Then off he starts to sing
another musical masterpiece.
| On this last day of my labors there
comes up big rainstorm. The rain
falls In torrents. Every one runs to
cover, but not my little friend. There
! he sits In the storm and keeps singing.
He seems to say to me: eyes, l am
thanking God for this rain. This wa.
ter means much to me. See how 1t is
cleansing my plumage. See how 1t Is
refreshing my garden. See how It is
making the grass grow for me-"
But" ] say. ''old fellow. that Is not
your garden; that Is my garden. ]
planted those flowers and am caring
for them" ooh, no." rejoins the little
warbler, at Is not your garden. 1t is
mine. I feed there every day of nv
life. This water blesses me and my
life, just as it blesses the life Of all
mankind" Yes, my little singing
friend Is right. That water not only
blesses me. but the fields and the birds
or the air. 1t blesses the flowers and
the crops. 1t comes as a shower of
blessing to this country and to all
countries alike.