Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-02-15

away they did not leave lot or Dills
unpaid. At their funeral you did not
have broken column Of flowers stand
ing at the head of the casket, symbolic
OF the fact that they were snatched
away In their prime. Their lives for
the most part were well rounded lives.
When they died you chlseled the same
passage of Scripture on both their
tombstones: blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord from hence
forth-yea. saith the Spirit. that they
may rest from their labors, and their
works do follow them" But were
those labors OF your father and mother
completed? II they were upon earth,
would they not find something which
they would like you to do?
You were q mature, educated man
when your father died. Why? You
were one Of the oldest children, and
your father was able to do for you
what he could not do for your young
est brother. It was hard struggle,
but he sent you through school and
college and educated you as lawyer,
physician or civil engineer. You
have been getting on splendidly. But
how about that younger brother? "Oh,"
YOU answer John Is not earning his
salt. He Is no good" No goodf
think John has the making OF just as
good a man as you. What he needs Is
an education. What he needs Is a de-
veloped and a disciplined brain. He Is
only twenty years Of age. What would
you have amounted to IL you were
thrown upon your own resources at
twenty and allowed to make your own
way In the world-perhaps sent into
n store as clerk instead Of being sent
to college? You had better put your
shoulder under that brothers load.
You had better economlze and save
and give your youngest brother an ed
ucation. That Is what your father
! would do II he were alive. That Is
what he did for you. Is 1t square and
right for the older children to have
all the education Of the family ana
the younger children have. nothing?
Another Duty Left.
But that Is not the only duty left to
you by your father and mother. There
| Is a moral as we'll as a financial duty
| for you to perform. There is the bind
ing duty which you have to your
brothers and sisters souls as well as
TO their minds and bodies. You know
that your parents always had favor
ite In the family. That favoritism
was migratory. 1t would continually
change. There was one child that
YOUR mother seemed to love more than
any other. That was the sick child OF
the wayward child. You remember
years ago when you had typhoid fever
Then you had the bed of honor In the
home. You slept for weeks by your
mothers side. Then when you were
conyalescent your sister came down
/ with the Group, and she for time be
came the fayorite. You were sent Into
| another bed, and your sister slept be
aIde your mother. Next your 6forner-
had trouble with his spine. Your moth
er was always talking and worrying
and thinking about John. Then you
became wild and dissipated. Your col
lege life was not uniformly irreproach-
able. You did things you had no right
to do. What happened? Don't you re-
member the pleading letters she used
to write? Don't you remember how
she prayed and talked with you? Don't
you remember how her love brought
you back to your better self?
There is a story told of a young man
who was dying. He had led a wild
sinful life in his youth, but the last
few years he had surrendered himself
entirely to Christian service. He was
dying a triumphant Christian death
Just short time before he passed
away sweet smile overspread his
face, and he threw an arm about the
neck Of the broken hearted woman
who was bending over him and SAID
"Oh. mother. thank God for such
motherl You have loved me into be
ing goodr Yes. when you were way
ward and sinful your parents loved
you into being good. But that is n0'
what want to impress upon your
mind. Your mother and father are
dead. Who have taken their positions
In your brothers life? God knows he
is wayward. God knows he is doing
what he ought not to do. God knows
he is drifting further and further away
into sin Who is loving him into being
good ard loving him back to the cross?
Is not that an unfinished labor of the
Old homestead which your father and
mother have left for you to complete?
Another Unfinished Labor.
.2ut there are other unfinished labors
for us in the home. We have inherit
ed from our ancestors work in political
as we'll as in domestic life. When we
think of the trainers of the conStitu-
tion Of the United States we must not
think of men who were satisfied with
what they accomplished. The constitu-
ton. though one Of the most wonder
full documents ever written by the pen
Of man, WAS far from satisfactory to
the men who wrote il. The statements
contained therein were the best that
could be agreed upon at the time. 1t
was constitution of expedency, not
Of perfection. Many were the laws
some men wanted to embOdy there,
but could not; otherwise the thirteen
colonies would never have become the
United States.
Study the Developments or the amend
ments 10 this constitution. Those
amendments were the best that at that
time could be framed But those
amendments could and should be i'm
proved upon. The work of a constitu-
tional convention had its development
in the thirteenth, fourteenth and nj
teenth amendments. But the work or