Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-07-19

toward the dirt for money. Some of
us in life are like the young man OF
the story book-we keep our eyes turn
ed toward the dirt. In order TO make
money and find money i'm unexpected
places we become SO sordid that we
cannot see the beauty of the stars and
hills and valleys in which the birds
live nor the temporal blessings of life
with which God has surrounded us. IL
God is giving To the sparrows of the
air, not worth a penny apiece, a beau
tiful world TO live in, is he not giving
10 US as many temporal blessings, o
ye OF little faith?
But rs l was sitting In tue woods
some time ago, with my books by my
side, thinking about the small birds of
the Bible, l heard great chattering
and scolding by my side. l looked
down, and there was little bird
hopping about my camp table. She
seemed to be saying to me: what are
you doing here? This is my property.
You are intruding on my maternal do
main. I must look after my children,
and you are worrying me almost to
death. cannot stand this strain any
longer" Then this little bird few OFF
short distance and began to chatter to
her mate. This husband was a solemn,
dignified bird. He seemed to be much
older than she. Then 1 thought 1
heard the male bird cry: MY dear, do
not worry. That man will not hurt you
nor your children. He Is not a hunter
See, he has pen in his hand. That is
no gun. Go ahead and feed the babies
He will not trouble them" Thus he
coaxed and pleaded and at last quieted
her. 1t took a long time TO persuade
the fretting wife not to worry.
thought by the way she turned her
eyes upon me she seemed to say: Illus
band, think you are wrong. That is
the same man l saw running about
these woods the other day with a shot
gun over his shoulder. But / will fol-
low your advice and go and look after
the children" Then l saw this mother
bird fly into small green tree by my
side, and at once saw the nest. Then
four mouths shot up over the nest.
Those little fledgelings seemed to be all
mouths, and they seemed to say,
There is mother, and dinner has come
ut last" "Ah," l said to myself as l
watched the anxieties OF that mother
bird, God not only gives to the little
birds n beautiful world to live in. but
he also makes that beautiful world
glow with the tender ties of domestic
love" Has not God blessed your life
with the love of mother and father
and husband and wife and child as he
has blessed the love life OF little
bird2
The Old Cherry Tree.
There may be more beautiful trees
than the old cherry tree which grew
just to the left of our window in the
old fashioned house where we were
born. Many years ago the worms
played havoc with some of its branches
The old trunk had hump on it. as
though the winter winds had pushed
against 1t too long and too hard, as our
gray haired grandfather had rounded
shoulders from bearing the burdens of
his thrcescorc years and ten. The cher
ries on that tree were not as luscious
as they might have been. Father often
said the tree had outlived its useful
ness, but he hated to cut il down. But.
though that tree was not as tall and
straight as ii might have been, IL was
the dearest tree on all the farm to the
two red breasted robins who came
there year after year To build their
nest. Though the storm would be
beating against the house mt the time.
yet no sooner would we see these har-
bingers OF spring than we would cry:
Spring is coming! Here are the rob
ins!' Then the two old birds would
hy down, expecting the crumbs that
were always awaiting them, and as
they would fly up TO the tree they
would seem to say: "This Is the best
tree In all the world for us, because
1t has about it's leaves the associations |
of love. Here we have raised our
young, and here we will come until we
die"
There may be handsomer homes I'm |
this world than the one In which YOU |
started with your mate to build YOUR
little nest. Aye. you may be living In |
a handsomer home now, upon n more |
prominent street, surrounded by |
weather neighbors, but the most |
beautiful homo you ever saw was the |
little two story building into which
you first took your bride. You had
cheap beds in that little home. You
had a cheap dining table and a cheap
parlor set but they were the tables
and the sofas and the chairs OF love.
The other day one OF your daughters
may have come to you and said: ga
ther, let US burn up that old crib. 1t Is
big, old fashioned, ungainiy thing
1t Is always in the way. No one wants
1t around. Besides, not one of the chill
dren would ever take it for a Gift"
somehow you did not like the way
your daughter spoke. A PARKWAY look
came into your eye as you said:
daughter, nobody may want that
crib but me, and it may he In the wav
or some people, but Ii is never in my1
way. i want to keep it. That was the
crib where all my babies first silent
Ihat was the place where l most often
think or your dead mother when she
was putting her smallest one to sleep
Whiie another baby was Juggling at her
skirts. You may do with that crib as
you Will after l am gone, but as long
as live i shall keep It. Why. dauyh.
ter, that crib is not made out of nloir
wood. It's true 1t is old fashioned. but
Ii Is made out Of old fashioned love"
AS j saw that mother bird in the
woods lowering over her nest and
heard her talking to her mate I said:
THANK God that the world is sweeter
and more lovely to the feathered deni.
zens of the woods because God has
blessed their lives with the holy Joys
OF domestic love. Has God not blessed