Found at the Salvation Army

A Bicentennial message

Back in the 80’s I was living in Woodbridge, Virginia, which was still its own little town and not yet a commuter suburb of D.C. I used to visit the Salvation Army on Rt. 1, and one day I passed by a big bin of curtains and noticed something embroidered in there. I pulled it out, and discovered it was a big piece of religious folk art—like something your nutty Aunt Suzy used to make, and nobody wanted when y’all were clearing out her house. So the Salvation Army got it.

“Gained the Whole World, Lost Souls” by Jeannie Gates

As I went through the checkout with my selections, I asked the cashier how much they wanted for the embroidery; it didn’t have a price tag. “You can just have it,” he said.

It’s big, about 3 ft by 4 ft. In the upper corners are “1776” and “1976,”so this is a Bicentennial piece. In the columns running down on the left and right sides are Scripture citations, mostly of warning. The title, “Gained the whole world, lost souls” comes from something Jesus said in Matthew 16:26: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

This work of art is signed: “Artist, Jeannie Gates.” Jeannie Gates did not have an optimistic view of America. She thought our love of wealth and luxury was going to cost Americans their souls. I keep pondering this.