Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-04-17

rortant * his position that this Official
is paid by the Santa re railroad $1,000
ner year. II II was not for the perfec-
ton OF the watches there would be
thousands upon thorsa lds of lives
sacrificed each year by collisions"
When YOU begin to realize that life
aud death hang upon the revolving
wheels or little watch as well as up-
on the great driving wheels OF a loco
motive do you wonder that we have
accidents? Then consider the perfec-
ton OF machinery and the perfection
or materials as well as the perfectjon
or the calculations OF time NECESSARY
to safeguard the lives of the people
who travel. When am passenger
on steamboat spend hours down I'm
the huli watching the moving machtn.
cry when am a passenger upon the
raiifoad train ] try TO sit upon the
pia'Iorm or the rear car and watch
the receding rails as the revolving
wheels carry us over them. never
go up into n high building but nj.
ways think, This high structure Il
erected story upon story" One bolt
or mat steamboat machinery or. of
place. one rail Of that track spreading.
one girder OF that building sagging
would mean death to scores. perbaps
hundreds, of human lives.
The Danger Frors the Elements.
Then from studying the dangers
which surround us everywhere aud
! from which we are saved by human
care would have you turn your minds
10 the dangers which threaten us from
/ earthquake and fire and lightning and
tornado and tidal wave All, we may
be able to guard against dangers arts
ing from human frailties. but who can
fight the elements when they begin TO
rear and plunge and to kick and to
snort? The hard surface of this earth
Is only as the shell Of an egg is TO the
inside of the egg. The internal fires of
the earth may burst forth at any time
The tornadOes and cyclones are readv
to beat us down from above. There
needs but little shifting of the earth's
surface and great tidal waves would
submerge our coast cities. Dangers
dangers, dangers, are everywherel
1hanS God that he has cared for ms
and protected us from physical de-
struction or, what is worse, from phys
ical mutiiation and agony Every day
: and hour Of our lives we have been
surrounded by perils from the forces
of nature. We, like Paul aud his fell
low vOyagers on the Alexandrlan corn
ship, have escaped safe 10 land"
But there is still another fact to
which want TO draw your attention ia
reference to this text l want you to
focus your eyes upon that little word
ALI" Luke does not here say. And
Paul escaped safe 70 land" He does
not say, And Paul and myself escaped
safe TO land" But he does say. Ana
so II came 60 pass that they escaped all
safe 10 land" That meant that ~
there were families upon that ship the
father and mother as well as the broth
ers and sisters or the children escaped.
All-yes, all-escaped safe to land.
Have you ever stopped to think how
much you are indebted morally and
spiritually, TO the fact that your godly
father and mother were preserved 10
train your youthful steps in life?
A Marrow Escape.
OF course we all know that spiritual
life comes from Jesus Christ alone. He
IS the vine. ana We are the branches.
But we also know that Christ works
by human agency. He sends certain
disciples to us TO lead US to the living
waters. In many cases these disciples
are our parents. III we had not been
led TO the cross By n Christian father
OF mother. many or us would never
have knelt there at all. And vet dc
n, 49,
In the most critical time OF your life
you almost lost that mother OF yours
who was 10 be Your best spiritual
ruide! Do you not remember the ay-
ful sickness she had when ycu yvers
about ten years OF age? Once, twice.
sor etimes three or four times q day
th< doctor came to the house. You re-
member how the doorbell was muffied
and perhaps the sawdust was thrown
In the street 10 stop the noise of the
rumbling carriage wheels. The younger
children were sent away to neigh
boris. Iou were kept at home In or
der TO run errauds when the medicines
were needed. You can still remember
the solemn faces about you. You did
not understand what IL all meant at
that time. but you do now You re-
member that midnight hour when ey-
erything was in excitement and they
said she would never come out of that
sinking spell. but the doctor got there
just in tine. All. IL was an awful
night! You remember how YOU went
TO your father and said, Papa, can 1
so In aud kiss mamma tonisht? aud
he said: Hush. Charleyi Hush! Yout
mother Is very sick. Let me undress
you ana hear you say your prayers. :"
linen you remember as he kissed you
good night he left a tear on your lips.
You remember during that night Won
aid not sleep wink Aye, she had an
aWrnliy close call If she had died. |
where would you be mentally, spirit.
uaily and physically today? Yes. your
Christian mothers life hung on the
balance that night; 1t was spared to
you by the narTowest Of margins.
Have YOU been thankful for that es-
eapeF Today We should not only thank
God for saving our own lives, but also
FOR saving the lives of those upon
whom our early mental and spiritual
development was dependent. And
they escaped all safe to land"
The Right Fraternity.
But, after We left the old homestead
and started out to make our own way
In the world, then again we had mar.
row moral and spiritual escapes. As
we look haply ar .boSo