Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-04-10

look Tor tnoSe happy homes IN Ucen-
tious Rome, where marriage was con-
sidered spiders web and where vir-
tue could not be found i'm the Roman
lexicon and where some women had
been married and remarked so fire.
quently that they had difficulty in re-
membering their alliances? Would you
find those happy homes among the
African jungles. where cannibals ban
quoted upon the flesh of men or among
the nomad tribes of North American
Indians, where woman was looked
upon as beast OF burden? Tell me. In
all the history of the world, If you can,
where motherhood and childhood are
so honored and the names of wife and
sister and daughter and mother so re-
yered and where the domestic life is
so happy as among the firesides of
Christian homes. oh, can you ever
was sown for you under the domestic
roof?
Your mother was not a great woman
as the world looks upon greatness. She
was not = famous authoress, like
George Eliot or Alice Cary or Eliza
beth Stuart Phelps. She was not a
great reformer, like Susan b. Anthony,
or great leader OF armies, like the
Maid OF Orleans She was not an art
LIST, like Rosa Bonheur. She was an en-
pert In washing dishes. but she had
never cultivated the magnificent art of
decorating china as some of her daugh-
ters do. But from the very moment of
her advent into the world she was an
honored member of the community in
which she lived. First the home of her
mother was filed with sacred 10y
when she was born. Then during all
the days Of her girlhood she was treat
ed with the tenderest protecting care.
Then your father came to court her.
He was her lover to the last. Then
her children arose to call her blessed.
And when at last her poor tired body
was laid to rest by her dead husband
hundreds Of her friends whom her life
had blessed stood about her open grave
to weep there. Tell me. where can You
find such honor paid to womanhood
except In Christian land filed with
Christian homes? Am wrong when /
state that the great tidal waves of
gladstone light roll through the rooms
OF the Christian home? Has not God
blessed the Christian nations with the
highest type Of domestic felicity?
Christian Governments.
But as the home is only one of the
units of society we must study how
God blesses the governments OF the
Christian lands as we'll as the individ-
ual firesides. Here we also find the
great tidal waves OF gladstone light
lowing everywhither. Here we find
the governments not run for a few,
but for the many. Here the rulers
are the servants of the people. Here
the governments are "of the people
and for the people and by the people"
This fact was not true I'm olden times,
before the Christ love was acknowledge
ed In the hearts of men. Then IL was
the governmental doctrine of the "di-
vine rights of kings" Now 1t Is the
doctrine of the divine rights OF the
people"
We look with amazement upon some
OF the stupendous buildings which the
great potentates OF the east have erect
ed. All. There were giants in those
days." giants so big that the earth
will never produce their like again.
And the trouble about those old giants
was that they grew so great by op-
pressing the people whom they ruled.
Did you know that the rulers of Egypt
In order TO build the great canal which
has made the present city of Cairo
possible took thousands OF men from
their labors in the fields and forcibly
drove them to the bitches? And as
result OF that CONSUMPTION 10000 men
perished. Some people may find gran
deur In that. but | only see brutal
tyranny.
What Egyptian traveller has not stud
led the famous citadel built 10y the
great Saladin? II is a wonderful struc-
ture. But did gou ever hear how he
built II? Twill tell you. He built IT by
enslaving all the captured crusaders
and compelling them TO labor there for
the rest OF their lives. Aye. there were
giants in those days. but thank God
we aid not hve In thsm. for In all prob
ability We should have had our lives
crushed out OF us by some tyrsnt as
your foot might crush an insect In
country path. But now all the injus-
tices Of the feudal system are gone.
Now every mans home is his castle
Now man must respect the rights OF
man. One mans liberty ends where
the equal rights OF another man begin.
And mark you this. the divine rights
Of the people" were first taught to the
world through the agency OF those ma
tons which first acknowledged Christ
as their Saviour and Lord. Am /
wrong in declaring that great tidal
waves OF gladstone light bless that ma
ton which acknowledges God as its
divine Ruler and Guide?
The Church Spire.
Don't you remember that old picture
you had in your childhood reader? 1t
stood at the top OF the page and told
the story OF the shipwrecked sailor
who was landed upon an unknown IS
land. He thinks he Is TO be eaten by
the cannibals, but he climbs q tree.
and on In the distance he sees a church
spire. Then he knows he Is safe, for
wherever Christ-is honored in any COM
munity there is safety. The best sure.
ty OF personal rights Is q church altar.
The best guarantee OF social and politi-
cal justice is church spire. Thank
God Tor what he has done for the
American people as q nationi
But we find the great tidal waves of
| Gods glaGsome light in the depths of
human mercy as we'll as In divine. We
see 1t In the treatment OF the sick and
helpless. In nOn-Chrlstian countries
when man falls sick his friends run