The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-01
VAS CHRIST WHO LIFTED HIS HANDS ONLY TO BLESS

0AA
left, and that was to thread his way
across the alley to the root OF the
building.
The flames had shot out and swirled
around the wire, and they burned
the flesh from his hands, and when
In the middle OF the alley his strength
gave way. and with q shrek OF agony
he swirled and shot until he struck
the street below. He had waited too
long.
There are men in hell hat never
expected to be there; they waited too
long. phevn neglected the .opportu-
lnnty a.i4a faeasYs, n. esssge. FStezr-EI
lts-pnty contempt; it isn't open rebel
lion and scorn. Neglect. IL admission
that it Is right, but you are not just
ready to be decent and live the way
God wants you to live.
If you neglect to take advantage
of a thing when you may. o have
no right to complain IL that Is re-
moved beyond your reach when you
want 1t. Let me illustrate. Suppose
you saw a mar swimming, and you
could tell by his struggles h a he
never could reach the bank alone. So
you jump In a boat and row out to
the fellow and say. II have been
watching you from the bank and l
have hired a boat n come; get in!'
mo, sir, thank you; I don't need
your aid. I will reach + without
assistance"
Come on in," pleads the man.
mo. STR"
And he turns and rows back, and
after he is gone the man struggling
In tho water discovers that he was
right. and unless he has assistance he
will drown, ana he begs and calls for
the man to help him. The man re-
fuses.
Now, then that man has Just rs
good a right to refuse to help that
man when that mar wants help As
that man had TO refuse this man
when this man wanted to help him.
God Almighty has got Just as good
q right to turn you down and PASS
you up when you make up yoN mind
you'd like to have his help as you
have to turn God down when he wants
to help you. Don't you think it Is all
on your side. Dom you think that
God Almighty Is like a dog: all you
have to do is snap your finger and he
will come whining around any time
you like. When you have made up
your mind God Almighty may have
settled 1t long before that you are
wv ~ w HAS CIV rcii3GNiiiiS ti5
to do but TO loaf around and wait for
you to make up your mind. God is
too busy. God is not going TO come
down from heaven and spend time ar
guing with a fool, take it from me
He ts too busy.
"ITow shall we escape II we select
so great salvation"
A friend OF mine stood before a class
In an operating clinic in an institution
"a Hf MA Grh{aPf uE1e iwinp an fha
table. They had given 1t the anes-
thettc- He was preparing for an ope-
ration and he said 10 the students.
The Last Chance.
"Gentlenen. II this man had changed
his way Of living FIVE years ago this
operation would never have been
necessary. If he had been willing to
subnnit to a sir Me operation two years
ago he would have lived. but now he
is beyond hope. This Is the only relief
and yet I don't expect he will ever
come out from under the knife alive"
and he didn't
There are lots Of people who wait
too long before they go to the hospital.
before they gro 20 California or Arizona
or New Mexico to breathe the rarifed
afr for THAR lungs. they wait too long
and they never come back home. IL
they do II is by express or baggage.
Some of the greatest calamities this
world has ever known have come
through neglect.
Years and years e on an island
In the Caribbean sea. nature was
~rurnbling and grumblfng and growl-
ing as IL mad at the world. They sent
for the scientists from Martinique.
They came up with their instrument.
they put the stethoscope to the hear
and lungs OF old mother earth, and
said. she Is normal, 90 and a frac-
ton so they looked her all over and
they said, There is no fear, no need
for any fear at ALL
One day there was a great crack IN
the side of the mountain and melted
lava shot out, consumed a u mill,
burned twenty-nine men to death. but
still they didn't take heed. And the
birds were seen TO leave their fedg-
lings in their nests and fly away from
the base Of the mountain. and sheep
n cattle would fee, The s~erpents
were e to wriggle through the grass
toward the seashore and safety. You
couldn't get q horse within several
miles Of the foothills, he'd stop, .sntr
the air ana neigh awhile and away
he'd run.
them. seemingly. On they went. ST.
Pierre was one OF the most beautiful
fascinating. wicked. vile. corrupt cities
on the face OF the earth. modelled after
Paris, but ten times as bad as Parts.
in all It's thoughtlessne ss. They wor-
shipped the devil in 81. Pierre, and
Rome. in the days Of bloody Nero, was
a Sunday school In Jerusalem compared
to St Pierre on the island of Mar
Unique
Ono morning in May, 1909, when
the people werc idling away their
hours, buying. selling. lying. marry
Ing. committing adultery, blasphem-
ing. falling at the shrines OF the devii.
worshirping lust. drunkenness and
everything that would sneer at God,
OLD Mt Pelee. peaceful as a summer
night tfor weeks she'd been show
ing signs OF nervousness and Of an
abnormal condition.. and suddenly.
with a hearse cough. she blotted st.
Pierre of from the map.
At s o'clock fifty thousand men
and women and children walked her