Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-10-11
CalnnaQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TalmaEe. d. n.

pOrary camping ground and shows
what preparations and precautions are
necessary to avoid its snares and pit.
falls. The text is Luke ii, A, "Went
days Journey"
In olden times man could live with
less dependence than now on his fell
low men. Yet there were certain neces.
sites 1t was imperative for him to take
along when he went on a long journey.
So essential were these necessities that
no man in the east ever broke away
from civilization until he had first
made sure that he had them all along,
for when the home cities had once
been left behind the hills and the Jour
ney had commenced there was no way
OF procuring these necessities. Thus In
Palestine, when a caravan or a party
or travellers were about to journey
from one region into another region
and go through n wilderness Of rocks
and trees infested by wild beasts and
brigands, they would always start
their first days journey about 4 or 8
O'Clock In the evening. Then they
would journey five or eight miles and
pitch camp. Then they would over,
haul their baggage and look to the
trappings of the horses and see that
their spears and their bows and arrows
and swords and hunting weapons were
a hand and in good order. Then they
would count noses and find out wheth.
er all the members of the families were
present. Then IL anything or anybody
was absent or forgotten, and there was
almost sure to be something or some
body left behind, a messenger could re-
turn to town and replenish what was
needful or bri1g back the person who
was inadvertently lest. A wise camp
ing party going to the woods for q
summer vacation In this country does
well to practice the same custom. AL
ways start your first days journey In
the morning. Almost without excep-
ton, careful as you may be, you will
find that some essential upon which
the happiness of your summer trip Is
more or less dependent has been left
behind.
Now, when Joseph and Mary, after
the feast of the Passover at Jerusalem.
had turned north for their home city
OF Nazareth they followed this custom
of the east. They started in the even
ing. After they had pitched camp
with the other members of the travel
ing party they began to overhaul their
goods to see il they had forgotten any,
thing. They were going through n wild
region, not only infested by robbers
and wild beasts, but by their unfriend-
~ neighbors, the Samaritans. After
they had looked over their clothes and
food supplies Mary turned to her hus-
band and said, Joseph. dear. where is
JesusT "Oh," answered Joseph, 'T
think he is all right in the camp. I
saw him when we were in Jerusalem.
and i supposed that he was with
friends. But 1 have not seen him
since we started" AS the night had
almost fallen, Mary, motherlike, be-
came anxious. She went from tent TO
tent and from campfire to campfire.
Everywhere she kept asking the ques-
tons: Have you seen Jesusf Have
you seen my boy? Did he not leave
the Jerusalem walls with us? 1 can't
find my Jesus anywhere" Well,
Mary" said an old Hebrew, "never
mind. 1t is only few miles back.
We have only travelled our first DAYS
Journey. We will wait for you a day,
and you go back and you will find him.
Nearly always somebody is left be-
hind. That is the reason we always
start our first days journey in the
evening hour"
Life as a Camping Journey.
As one WHO has camped a good deal
In life and spent many months in the
open, this text has taken n firm hold
upon my mind and heart. Life always
seems to me to be camping journey.
When we plunge into the woods we
break away from the old homestead.
Then We have to be surrounded by
new faces and depend upon the
strength OF our own hands for our sue
cess or failure. Now, some people start
forth on this journey OF life In hap
hazard way. They do not seem TO
care what they have In camp or what
they have left behind. They start off
on their journey OF life early in the
morning, and when they pitch camp
at night they are SO far away from
TIC home city that they cannot go
back anu procure what they lack.
Others start their journey Of life in
the evening. Then IL anything is lost
they return for the necessary supply.
So may 1t be with us. AS some of us
are just pitching camp a few miles
sway from the old homesteads, 1 want
you TO take an inventory and find out
what essentials you lack and go back
and procure them
want you, IN the first place, for this
journey OF life to overhaul your men
tai equipment. / am not asking you
whether you have n mind. There is not
rnan or woman here who has not
gray matter enough to make a success
in life IL that brain is used Alright. But
what am asking you is this: Have
you q developed and educated brain;
Have you a brain capable of accom-
piishing results? Have you a brain
that has been taught and trained so as
TO enable you to excel in some depart
ment OF the worlds work? We cannot
all be lawyers or physicians, but every
man before he sets out on his Journey
In active life should hav~ found ont
what is his speciality and should have
been trained to succeed In 1t. 1t may
be only to make q table or construct a
watch, but he should be able to do
mat better than other people. II he is
R iapidary he should be able to distin-
suish the precious stone from the COM
mon pebble and should know how to
cut and polish 1t. If you find when you
make your first halt that you have not
this capacity TO do some one work bet